Enzo Maresca to Man City: New manager ‘signs’ same deal as Pep Guardiola as contract details emerge

Enzo Maresca will soon be confirmed as Manchester City’s new manager following the departure of Pep Guardiola, according to a report.

After several months of speculation, Guardiola announced at the end of last week that he will be stepping down from his role as Citizens boss, bringing the curtain down on a transformative, trophy-laden decade at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola took charge of his 593rd and final Man City game on Sunday when the sky blues suffered a 2-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa in a dead-rubber final-day Premier League fixture.

The Catalan coach was given a special send-off at the Etihad in front of over 60,000 supporters before celebrating his legacy and a domestic cup double in the 2025-26 season during a parade in the city of Manchester on Thursday, followed by an ‘After Party’ at the Co-op Live arena.

Guardiola has already packed up his belongings ahead of departing Manchester and taking an extended break from football management, while Man City already seem to have selected his replacement in the form of Marasca.

Maresca ‘signs three-year contract’ to become Man City manager

The former Chelsea boss was swiftly identified as Man City’s No.1 candidate to succeed Guardiola, and journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that the Italian has now signed a three-year contract to become the club’s new manager.

Maresca will therefore follow in the footsteps of Guardiola, who also penned a three-year deal when he first joined Man City ahead of his arrival in the summer of 2016.

It is claimed that Maresca’s agreement until 2029 will allow the 46-year-old to be fully involved in Man City’s transfer strategy – a luxury he was not blessed with at Stamford Bridge.

Romano has said that Maresca’s new chapter at the Etihad will ‘start soon’, though it still remains to be seen when Man City will officially unveil their new manager.

Following his final match in charge of Man City on Sunday, Guardiola vowed that he would call his successor and offer some advice ahead of taking one of the biggest jobs in world football.

"When the club tell me who it is, of course I will call him,” Guardiola said at his post-match press conference. “I will tell him, 'Be yourself and the club will support you unconditionally'.

“That is the biggest compliment, or the biggest luck that all the managers who have been here have had. You will be protected in the bad moments more than any other club. Be yourself, be free, go with your ideas. Work a lot and everything will be fine."

Why Maresca is the chosen one for Man City

Instead of appointing a high-profile manager who has no Premier League experience, or limited knowledge of how Man City operate, the Citizens have turned to a familiar face in Maresca, who previously worked as Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad and also as an academy coach.

Maresca won the Premier League 2 title with Man City’s Elite Development Squad in 2020-21, while he was a member of Guardiola’s coaching staff when the senior side celebrated a historic Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble in 2022-23.

He then steered Leicester City to the Championship title as a manger the following season, before taking the reign at Chelsea where he won the Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup in 2025.

A proven winner who crucially knows Man City inside out, Maresca is arguably the most logical successor to Guardiola and will relish the opportunity to test himself in what will represent the biggest job of his career to date.