Enzo Maresca is free to take a new job after leaving Chelsea and is now the leading contender to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
Enzo Maresca is free to join any club this summer following his resignation from Chelsea on New Year’s Day, talkSPORT understands. Although the terms of his exit from Stamford Bridge remain legally complicated, Chelsea cannot block the 46-year-old from taking a new role. Any compensation owed to Chelsea would be settled between Maresca and the club directly, with no obligation falling on his next employer.
Maresca is the clear front-runner to succeed Guardiola at Manchester City, with multiple well-placed sources confirming high-level talks have already taken place. Chelsea sources allege City made several approaches while Maresca was still at the club — a potential factor behind majority owner Behdad Eghbali’s cryptic remarks at last week’s CAA World Congress of Sports. “The change wasn’t the club’s decision for reasons I can’t speak about legally,” Eghbali said. “I think the reasons will become kind of clear in due course.”
Maresca’s departure is understood to have been triggered by frustration over what he viewed as interference in team affairs, specifically when Chelsea’s director of performance Bryce Cavanagh was placed on the bench to oversee player workload decisions. Guardiola, whose contract runs until 2027, is expected to decide his future on his own timeline — either departing this summer or next. Should he leave, Maresca appears well-positioned to return to the Etihad and succeed his former mentor.