Enzo Maresca has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, after Chelsea sacked the Italian in January following 18 months in charge
Former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is said to be the overwhelming favourite to succeed Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. The west London club axed Maresca, 46, back in January after 18 months at the helm.
City are already laying the groundwork for Guardiola's departure, with speculation mounting that the Spaniard could walk away at the end of the campaign, despite having a year remaining on his deal. Should Guardiola leave this summer, Maresca is leading the race to take the reins at the Etihad Stadium.
According to The Guardian, there have been 'positive talks' over Maresca stepping into the shoes of his former mentor Guardiola. The Italian is City's top target, with the club left impressed by his managerial record so far.
However, a potential stumbling block in City's pursuit of Maresca is that he is believed to still have outstanding contractual ties to Chelsea.
The former Leicester boss is thought to have walked away from his deal at Stamford Bridge with three-and-a-half years still remaining, plus the option of an additional 12 months.
Maresca informed Chelsea prior to his departure that he had twice held talks with City regarding succeeding Guardiola, despite being contracted until 2029 - and his shock exit from the Blues left the footballing world stunned.
Maresca had guided the Blues back into the Champions League before clinching the Conference League and the Club World Cup in his debut season, following his arrival from Leicester City in June 2024.
Yet Chelsea's board took the dramatic decision to axe Maresca despite the club sitting fifth in the Premier League and well-placed to secure back-to-back berths in Europe's most prestigious club competition.
On top of that, the Blues were still very much alive in the Carabao Cup and firmly within the top eight of the Champions League.
After Chelsea Under-21s boss Callum McFarlane stepped in as caretaker for two matches, Liam Rosenior was handed a long-term contract off the back of an impressive spell at sister club Strasbourg.
Despite a promising start to life at Stamford Bridge, Rosenior's reign was ruthlessly cut short on Wednesday following a humiliating 3-0 thrashing at Brighton.
The defeat extended Chelsea's dismal Premier League losing streak to five games, sending them tumbling to seventh, now seven points adrift of fifth-place Liverpool in the battle for Champions League qualification.
During his tenure at Chelsea, Rosenior won 11 and drew two of his 23 matches in charge.
McFarlane is now widely expected to steer the Blues through to the end of the campaign while the club searches for a permanent replacement.