Manchester City began discussing succession not because Pep Guardiola has failed, but because the project has reached a point where planning for the future has become an obligation. According to reporting from The Athletic, internal expectation is growing that the Catalan coach may be entering his final season in charge of the English club, even though no official decision has been made. The name emerging as a strong candidate is Enzo Maresca, currently at Chelsea, someone who knows City from the inside and understands how the model built by Guardiola works.
Guardiola is under contract until June 2027, a deal renewed in November 2024 at a moment when the team was going through its biggest crisis since his arrival. Even so, the prevailing view is that his tenure could come to an end after the 2025/26 season.
City are not looking for a savior, they are looking for continuity
The choice of Enzo Maresca as a possible successor is neither random nor opportunistic. At 45, the Italian is in his second season at Chelsea and has already won the Conference League and the Club World Cup. Before that, he spent time at Manchester City, worked with the youth teams and served as a direct assistant to Guardiola. In other words, he is not an outsider to the project, but someone who helped build it in a different role.
When City think about Maresca, they are not searching for a coach to “replace Guardiola” in a literal sense. That would be impossible. What the club appears to want is someone capable of maintaining principles, adjusting nuances and preserving a playing identity that is already institutionalized. In a team that operates almost like a system, the biggest risk is not a lack of talent, but an abrupt break in method.
That logic helps explain why Maresca’s name gains traction even with a long term contract at Chelsea. His deal runs until 2029, with an option for a further 12 months, which in itself does not prevent future conversations. In elite soccer, long contracts organize the present, but they rarely fully protect the future.
Maresca, Chelsea and the noise with the fans
One important detail, clearly supported by the facts, is Maresca’s relationship with part of the Chelsea fan base. In one of his press conferences, the coach mentioned the lack of support in London. Even so, that does not automatically put him on an exit path or turn Chelsea into a secondary player. It simply adds a human layer to a process that is often treated as purely strategic.
On City’s side, the approach is one of observation. Guardiola remains in charge, as competitive as ever, and the club continues to compete for trophies. Planning happens in parallel, without interfering with the present.
What stands out is how naturally Manchester City handle a subject that is often taboo at big clubs. Thinking about the post Guardiola era before a farewell does not diminish the coach. On the contrary, it recognizes the scale of his legacy. And in that context, Enzo Maresca appears less as a bold gamble and more as the logical outcome of a club that prefers to anticipate moves rather than react once a cycle has already ended.