The Italian is set to replace Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium. Alessandro Sabattini/Getty ImagesMay 20, 2026 12:58 pm EDTEnzo Maresca has started working on summer transfer activity and pre-season planning before his impending appointment by Manchester City.The Italian is set to replace Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium, with the Catalan bringing to an end his glittering 10-year tenure.Former Chelsea head coach Maresca left Stamford Bridge in January, a fortnight after The Athletic revealed he would be under consideration for the City job in the event Guardiola departed the club this summer, as he is now set to do.And sources briefed on the situation, not authorised to speak publicly, say he has already been collaborating closely with sporting director Hugo Viana for pre-season, the new campaign and beyond in preparation to take over.Maresca won the Conference League and the Club World Cup in his one full season in charge in west London and led the club to Champions League qualification.
The 46-year-old, who won the Championship title with Leicester City, has previously worked at City, coaching the club’s Under-21 side for the 2020-21 season and returning as a first-team assistant to Guardiola in the summer of 2022.Guardiola has guided City to 20 trophies across a decade at the club, including the Carabao Cup and FA Cup this season.After winning four successive Premier League titles between 2021 and 2024, with the 2022-23 campaign bringing the treble including City’s first Champions League trophy, the club have now gone successive seasons without a league title.In 2024-25, City finished third and 13 points behind eventual champions Liverpool, before losing out to Arsenal this campaign.His final game will come against Aston Villa on Sunday on the Premier League’s final weekend of the season.
