Although he has never explicitly stated he is leaving Man City, everyone senses that Pep Guardiola ‘s great journey there is coming to an end.
Those appointed at Barcelona and Bayern Munich in previous years all had connections to Pep Guardiola. At Barcelona, Tito Vilanova served as an assistant for four years before being appointed.
Luis Enrique was Pep’s midfield partner at Barca, and he also coached Barcelona B before becoming a head coach. After a four-year hiatus, Blaugrana have once again appointed someone connected to Pep: his former pupil, Xavi Hernandez.
At Bayern Munich, eight years after Pep left his post, the “Bavarian giants” appointed Vincent Kompany, who had been Manchester City’s captain for the first three years of Pep’s era at the Etihad Stadium.
In general, many of the people who later became head coaches at the teams Pep managed had quite close relationships with the Spanish coach.
Enzo Maresca during a Manchester City training session with Pep Guardiola in December 2022. Photo: AFP
Among Pep Guardiola’s former pupils and assistants, two stand out today: Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) and Enzo Maresca (Chelsea). Previously, Arteta and Kompany were considered as potential replacements for Pep at Man City.
However, neither lived to see Pep leave the club and went on to secure other successful careers.
With Arteta and Kompany both settled comfortably at their respective clubs, it’s highly unlikely that Man City would bring them in to replace Pep. Therefore, the most likely candidate is Enzo Maresca.
The Italian strategist has already won titles with Chelsea and isn’t under pressure to build or maintain an empire.
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Mikel Arteta and Vincent Kompany have both found good clubs. Photo: AFP
Of all the teams he’s managed, the style of play Maresca has implemented at Chelsea over the past 18 months is closest to Pep’s, at least in its fundamental principles: a slow pace, purposeful tactics, and the ability to apply pressure. A chess strategist admitted that he sees the game through the eyes of his former mentor.
When Pep looked at his predecessors, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, he felt it would be unacceptable if his legacy didn’t have an immediate successor. Manchester United had waited 13 years without winning the Premier League. Meanwhile, Wenger’s final years at Arsenal, though unsuccessful, still retained their identity. Even now, the Gunners haven’t won the league title.
If Man City win the Premier League this season, Pep Guardiola will most likely leave the club in glory. He has won countless titles in the past, but winning the title at the end of the season could be the most meaningful achievement, as it would create an excellent foundation for his successor.
Last month, even before reporters asked, Pep had already showered Maresca with praise: “He is one of the best coaches in the world. What Maresca is doing is not being properly appreciated. Chelsea qualifying for the Champions League, winning the FIFA Club World Cup and the Conference League in the current highly competitive environment is truly extraordinary.”
Enzo Maresca is highly trusted by Pep Guardiola. Photo: AFP
To achieve promotion with Leicester and win trophies with Chelsea, simply imitating Pep Guardiola wasn’t enough. At Stamford Bridge, he was tasked with leading a team of young players and building a collective style of play.
He has already won two titles, and with the current freshness of Man City, that’s a positive sign for Maresca’s potential for personal development and achieving similar results if he were to arrive at Etihad.
Maresca also spent a year managing Manchester City’s elite youth team, where he won the Premier League 2 title while coaching rising stars like Cole Palmer, Nico O’Reilly, and Oscar Bobb.
As for his relationship with the management, Maresca doesn’t have a particularly close relationship with the Chelsea owners, unlike the one he had at the Etihad Stadium with the owners of City Football Group.
One of the obstacles if Maresca joins Man City in the summer of 2026 is the lack of continuity. In the treble-winning squad of 2023, eight players had previously trained alongside Maresca: Stefan Ortega, John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias, Rico Lewis, Phil Foden, and Erling Haaland.
Three of these players will see their contracts expire next summer.
Pep Guardiola is an incredibly powerful icon. Photo: AFP
When Maresca arrived at Chelsea, he built a playing style similar to what Man City had done two years earlier. However, the team is now built on a different style, so if Maresca comes, integration could be problematic.
Everything now depends on Pep’s decision. If he leaves in the summer of 2026, Man City will start looking for a replacement. Otherwise, no matter how excellent Enzo Maresca is, his desire to move to the Etihad Stadium as manager will become a distant dream.
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