Italian Enzo Maresca, the manager of Chelsea, is the leading candidate to coach Manchester City in case Spanish Pep Guardiola leaves the Etihad Stadium next summer.
According to "The Athletic", there are increasing expectations that this may be Guardiola’s last season at City, with a decisive decision expected near the end of the season.
Due to his previous work with City's youth and first teams, Maresca is still admired within the club and is expected to be a prominent candidate should Pep leave, but he will not be the only one.
Guardiola's contract extends until June 2027, after a new agreement he signed in November 2024, allowing both parties ample time. The 54-year-old coach has typically waited until relatively late in the season to make a decision regarding his future, as has always been the case in the past.
Maresca was a member of Guardiola’s staff at City during the 2021-2022 season and is well-known to the ten-time English champions, having spent two periods there, separated by a stint as the head coach at Italian club Parma. He managed the City under-21 team for the 2020-2021 season and then returned as an assistant for the first team in the summer of 2022.
The Italian's contract with Chelsea lasts until 2029, with an option to extend for an additional 12 months. However, some uncertainty has recently emerged after he described the period leading up to Saturday’s home win against Everton as "the worst 48 hours since joining the club, because many people did not Khaberni."
He declined to provide further details in subsequent press conferences, but he has consistently expressed a strong connection to Chelsea fans, most recently after the Tuesday win in the Carabao Cup quarterfinals against Cardiff City.
