Man City eye Chelsea boss Maresca to replace Guardiola

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is on Manchester City’s shortlist of managers to replace Pep Guardiola this summer, according to David Ornstein.

The Chelsea gaffer is one of City’s targets as he has top Premier League experience.

He also knows the 10-time Premier League champions, having been Guardiola’s assistant and coached the youth team.

The Italian tactician is reportedly unhappy with the Chelsea hierarchy and publicly made his displeasure known, leading to speculation about his future.

Also, his decision to switch agents to Jorge Mendes would send alarm bells ringing at Stamford Bridge.

Man City are preparing for the potential departure of Guardiola following a highly successful spell.

Maresca is on their radar, having led Chelsea, one of the youngest teams in Europe, to two titles.

They have other targets, but the report mentions that he is ‘high’ on the shortlist. However, any move would be complex.

Maresca is contracted to Chelsea until 2029, with the option of a further year, having been appointed last summer to lead the club’s long-term rebuild.

Chelsea would be crazy to let Maresca leave

Letting Maresca walk now would be an act of self-sabotage that the Blues cannot afford.

For once, the club has struck gold with a head coach who fits the long-term vision they keep talking about.

Discarding him just as the foundations are being laid would be peak Chelsea.

The fans already understand this. The chants after the wins over Everton and Cardiff City were an endorsement of his leadership.

Supporters can see the structure and a young, chaotic squad slowly being moulded into something coherent. That does not happen by accident, nor does it happen overnight.

Maresca is tactically well-versed, steeped in Guardiola’s positional play principles but pragmatic enough to adapt them to the realities of his squad.

He has managed an unbalanced squad that he did not build, overloaded in some areas, desperately thin in others, and still found a way to compete while developing young talent.

That alone deserves patience and protection from Chelsea.

If City are circling, it is because they recognise Chelsea have a modern coach with elite tactical grounding and a proven ability to improve young players.

Allowing Maresca to succeed Guardiola at City would be a damning indictment of Chelsea’s sporting leadership.

Chelsea would be silly to let him leave. Unfortunately, given the track record of these sporting directors, you cannot entirely rule it out.