Chelsea boss a shock candidate for top Premier League job

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The Football Faithful

·18 December 2025

Chelsea boss a shock candidate for top Premier League job

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is “high” on Manchester City’s list of potential Pep Guardiola successors should he leave Eastlands next summer.

Guardiola is contract with City until June 2027 following a contract extension in November 2024, but it has been reported that he could leave the club at the end of this season.

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The 54-year-old suggested earlier this year that he will take a break from coaching and could even retire once his time at City comes to an end.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca a shock candidate to replace Pep Guardiola at Man City

According to The Athletic, City are “planning” for the possibility of Guardiola walking away next summer and are drawing up a list of potential replacements.

The report claims that Maresca is “high among the candidates” they are “considering” for the role should Guardiola leave.

The Italian is a Guardiola disciple after working as one of his assistants during the 2022/23 campaign. He was previously in charge of the club’s Elite Development Squad before a brief stint as Parma manager.

Maresca left Man City in 2023 to become head coach of Leicester City, who he guided to Premier League promotion by winning the Championship. He was subsequently hired by Chelsea and led the team to success in the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup.

The 45-year-old still has three and a half years left to run on his current contract, with the option for a further 12 months, but questions have been raised over his future at Stamford Bridge after he complained of the “worst 48 hours” of his tie at the club last week.

“Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn’t support us,” he revealed after the Blues beat Everton 2-0 at home last Saturday.

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