Enzo Maresca has underlined his desire to find the 'next Rodri' ahead of next month's transfer deadline. The Spanish midfielder left Manchester City earlier this week in a big-money switch to Barcelona.
It brought to an end a glittering seven-year spell for Rodri at the Etihad Stadium, where he helped the club to numerous Premier League titles, the Champions League, as well as claiming the Ballon d'Or for himself.
City's midfield additions
City have already made a big-money addition in the heart of midfield with a £116million move for England star Elliot Anderson. But it appears that they are not done there, with talks underway with Lille for Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Regardless of who is drafted in, Maresca has suggested that they are looking for someone with a similar profile to Rodri. And while the City boss is aware of the enormity of that task, he believes it's something that they've managed to navigate before.
"How do we solve that problem?" asked Maresca. "We try to find the new Rodri, it is what it is.
"[Before] Rodri arrived here, he didn't win the Ballon d'Or, he didn't win the Champions League, he didn't win the Club World Cup. He joined the club then he achieved many important things."
Maresca on replacing legends
Maresca added: "I was thinking on Thursday night, when David Silva was here, everyone was worried and Kevin [De Bruyne] arrived. When Sergio [Aguero] was here, everyone was worried [when he was going to leave] and Erling [Haaland] arrived. Fernandinho? Rodri arrived."
"When they leave, you need to be good in recruiting the next one. They are all similar, David, Kevin, Fernandinho, Rodri, Erling - there is one more - it is normal, it is change, it is not a problem, go again and try to do the right things."
Potential outgoings
Away from signings, there could also be more outgoings at the Etihad over the coming days. Savinho and Omar Marmoush are both on the verge of joining Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in a double deal worth around £140m.
Should those moves be completed, the pair would join a number of high-profile players leaving the club. Tijjani Reijnders has departed for Saudi Arabian side Al-Qadsiah, while James Trafford, Nathan Ake, Bernardo Silva and John Stones have all followed former boss Pep Guardiola out of the door.
City get their 2026/27 season underway on Sunday, as they welcome Bournemouth to the Etihad.
