Former Blues supervisor inks a three-year deal at Manchester Metropolis and succeeds Pep Guardiola, who stepped down in Might.
Printed On 29 Jun 2026
Manchester Metropolis have appointed Enzo Maresca as supervisor to interchange departing coach Pep Guardiola subsequent season, the Premier League membership introduced on Monday.
The Italian joins Metropolis following a mid-season exit from Chelsea, with the London membership saying they’d reached an settlement with Manchester Metropolis over a compensation bundle. British media reported the price to be about £17 million ($22.5 million).
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Maresca, who has signed a three-year contract, brings familiarity with Metropolis’s set-up, having beforehand coached the membership’s youth workforce. He was additionally the senior facet’s assistant coach below Guardiola throughout Metropolis’s 2018-19 treble-winning season.
“Manchester Metropolis is a membership I do know very nicely and to have the possibility to handle this workforce is an excellent alternative for me,” Maresca stated in a press release.
“The standard of the individuals who work here’s what makes it so particular, and I need to thank them for displaying religion in my potential.
“I can not wait to begin teaching the gamers. I would like us to win, play good soccer and benefit from the stress of representing Manchester Metropolis.”
Managerial journey
The 46-year-old Italian’s managerial journey started at Parma in 2021, the place he lasted 14 video games, profitable solely 4 instances.
He was appointed Leicester Metropolis boss at the beginning of the 2023-24 Championship season and guided them again to the Premier League as champions.
His success within the East Midlands earned him a transfer to Chelsea, the place he was charged with steering a younger however expensively assembled squad again to the Champions League.
Abrupt departure at Chelsea
Maresca guided Chelsea to a fourth-place end and lifted each the Convention League and FIFA Membership World Cup, however his relationship with the membership’s homeowners deteriorated and he left halfway by means of his second season at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea stated in a press release on Monday that Maresca had expressed a need to depart in the course of his contract after being knowledgeable of the chance to succeed Guardiola at Manchester Metropolis.
“It grew to become clear to us that it was his sturdy need to succeed Guardiola and that he was absolutely dedicated to pursuing the chance, regardless of the actual fact he was below a long-term contract which he had no proper to terminate,” Chelsea stated in a press release.
“In December 2025, our Head Coach unexpectedly and abruptly resigned from his place. Clearly, we felt let down as we believed that his head and coronary heart have been centered on one other membership and one other alternative, regardless of having simply arrived at Chelsea the 12 months earlier than.”
Metropolis additionally confirmed they’d held confidential talks with Maresca final 12 months whereas he was nonetheless at Chelsea.
The Italian acknowledged his departure disrupted Chelsea’s season, with the membership finally ending ninth after parting methods along with his successor Liam Rosenior and turning to caretaker Calum McFarlane.
“I recognise that my departure from Chelsea in the course of the season triggered disruption for the membership and I apologise for that. It was neither my intention nor my want,” Maresca stated in a press release on the Manchester Metropolis web site.
“I used to be handled nicely by everybody at Chelsea and collectively we achieved nice success and reminiscences that I’ll all the time treasure.”
Chelsea have since appointed Xabi Alonso as supervisor.
Changing Guardiola
Maresca now faces the daunting activity of changing 55-year-old Guardiola, whose decade-long spell remodeled Metropolis into English soccer’s dominant power.
“Metropolis is an extremely well-run soccer membership. All the pieces they do is modern, deliberate and purposeful,” Maresca stated.
“For a supervisor, that could be a dream scenario. It offers the consistency I have to do my job successfully.”
Guardiola, who introduced his departure in Might, led Metropolis to a blinding array of silverware, together with six Premier League titles and one Champions League crown.
The Spaniard gained the League Cup and FA Cup in his remaining season to cap a outstanding tenure on the membership, however missed out on main his facet to a dramatic Premier League title victory.
