Savinho, Rodri exits, Marmoush update, transfer concerns: What we learned from Enzo Maresca’s Man City press conference

Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Savinho has wanted to leave Manchester City “since day one” while he also admitted that he could not convince Rodri to stay at the Etihad Stadium.

After seven trophy-laden seasons on the blue side of Manchester, Rodri bid farewell to the club earlier this week when he completed a £65.4m transfer to Barcelona.

Meanwhile, Savinho is on the verge of completing a big-money transfer to Tottenham Hotspur, who have allegedly agreed a surprise deal worth an initial £75m plus £10m in add-ons.

Man City are gearing up for their first Premier League fixture of the 2026-27 season at home against Bournemouth on Sunday, and Maresca addressed the media at a press conference on Friday, with transfer incomings and departures unsurprisingly a hot topic.

Asked whether he tried to convince Rodri to stay at Man City, Maresca told reporters: "It is quite clear when the player wants to leave, then it is complicated to convince them to stay.

"It happened with Rodri and the same thing is happening with Savinho. Since day one, he has asked me that he wants to leave. So now we are waiting, but it's complicated.

"When the player is thinking that they need a new challenge, or they want to change because they probably want to go back to Spain, or they want to play more minutes or for a different reason. It becomes complicated then to convince them to stay."

Marmoush yet to ask to leave Man City, unlike Savinho

Omar Marmoush could soon follow Savinho to Spurs, who are in talks to sign the Egyptian forward before the September 1 transfer deadline.

Asked whether Marmoush will leave the Etihad, Maresca replied: "I don't know. Omar is still here, still with us, a different situation to Savinho. And we'll see what happens."

Elaborating on those points, the Italian added: "Savinho, since day one, asked to leave. Omar didn't ask to leave since day one... (But has he now?) Not yet."

Pressed on whether Man City can make the right signings if players such as Marmoush and Savinho depart, Maresca said: "For sure, we are going to have more options in case players go out. As I said a few times, if they go out, someone has to arrive.

"I'm not worried, not concerned [about City's late need for transfer business]. Since day one, we knew exactly what we needed, we are working together with the sporting director [Hugo Viana], with the club. And again, it's 11 days to go [until the deadline], and many things can happen.

"We don't have a minimum number [of signings needed] or a maximum number. In case you win games or lose games, we are not going to change our perspective or idea on how many players we need. We know exactly how many, what we need, and then we'll see in the next 10 days.”

Maresca coy on Fernandez deal as he lays out Man City ambitions

One player who Maresca is allegedly keen to reunite with is Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who continues to be heavily linked with Man City.

"Enzo is a Chelsea player, and I'm not going to talk about players that are not with us,” Maresca told reporters. “First of all, because I think it's a lack of respect, and second because I don't like when different managers talk about our players."

While Maresca was not willing to discuss potential incomings, he was keen to express his delight over becoming Man City’s new manager and is “convinced” that he can steer his team through a successful season.

He said: "I think we have a good squad, for sure. We need to be ready to compete, I want to compete, and again, the reason why I'm here is because I want to try to win titles and to carry on what this club, this organisation has done for the last 15 years.

"Where are we now? It's a bit complicated because we started one month ago, but for sure the intention is to compete as soon as possible."

"Very excited to start this new chapter, new journey. It's a privilege to be here; it's a huge club, a huge organisation. I'm convinced - because of the players, the club, and what we can do - that we can achieve something important. Now it's normal that it's not something magic, it's something you need to build, and we're going to build."

Meanwhile, Maresca has provided the latest update on the fitness of his Man City squad, including Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes ahead of their opening clash with Bournemouth.