Enzo Maresca has reportedly already started working on plans for when he takes over from Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager this summer. Guardiola will step down as boss at the end of the season, and City have already planned for his former assistant to succeed him.
Guardiola's Legacy
Guardiola has been in charge of City for a decade and has been hugely successful, with the FA Cup they won on Saturday at Wembley his 20th piece of silverware in total with the club. He has won six Premier League titles, the Champions League, three FA Cups and five Carabao Cups, transforming both the club and English football.
Succession Planning
Succeeding one of the greatest managers of all time is no easy task, but City have been planning for this eventuality for some time. Reports that Guardiola would step down this summer, despite having another year left on his contract, have been rife, and it emerged after the FA Cup win that he would indeed do so.
Maresca has long been touted as a successor to his former colleague, with whom he worked closely during City's Treble-winning 2022-23 campaign. The 46-year-old won the Club World Cup and Conference League with Chelsea last season, and his exit in January was partly due to his repeated flirting with City.
The Athletic reports that Maresca has already started working with City sporting director Hugo Viana on plans for pre-season and the summer transfer window. He knows the club well, having also served as under-21s coach in 2020-21.
The Italian is seen as the perfect person to continue Guardiola's work, with his knowledge of the club and preferred style of play in-keeping with the direction City want to go in. He is an appointment which seeks continuity rather than revolution after a second successive year without the Premier League title for City.
Arsenal were confirmed as Premier League champions for the first time in 22 years on Tuesday night after City could only manage a 1-1 draw against Bournemouth. Guardiola's final match, his 593rd at the helm of the team, will come against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Guardiola's Praise
Guardiola is a huge fan of Maresca's and has previously said: "One of the best managers in the world, Enzo Maresca, I know him quite well, but the job he has done at Chelsea does not get enough credit. Winning the Club World Cup, Conference League, qualification for the Champions League in a league that is so tough with a young team. It is exceptional."
Guardiola is likely to take a break from management, similar to the gap he had in between his four years as Barcelona head coach and in taking charge of Bayern Munich.
