Enzo Maresca poised to be unveiled as Man City manager with announcement date hinted | OneFootball

A formal announcement on Enzo Maresca being appointed as the new Manchester City manager is now expected to land this week, it has been revealed.

The Italian has been the outstanding candidate to succeed Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium since the Catalan’s departure at the end of last season, with City’s hierarchy moving quickly to identify a manager capable of sustaining the club’s standards heading into a new era.

Maresca arrives with considerable pedigree, having guided Leicester City to the Championship title and navigated a difficult debut Premier League campaign before his move to Stamford Bridge – where he led Chelsea to 2025 FIFA Club World Cup glory and a top-six finish in the Premier League last term.

The primary sticking point in completing the agreement has been the compensation owed to Chelsea for extracting Maresca from his existing contract, with negotiations between the two clubs dragging into the opening weeks of the summer window and delaying what has otherwise been a straightforward process for City’s director of football Hugo Viana.

City have moved in parallel on their transfer business in the background, with deals for the likes of Elliot Anderson continuing to be negotiated even amid the unresolved managerial situation – underlining the club’s determination not to allow the compensation discussions to slow down the broader rebuild ahead of Maresca’s first season in charge.

Report: Compensation agreed, announcement imminent

According to Paul Hirst and Peter Rutzler of The Times, a compensation package of more than £10 million has now been negotiated with Chelsea, clearing the final obstacle to a formal announcement that is expected before the end of this week.

BBC Sport’s Nizaar Kinsella has separately reported that the figure agreed between the two clubs is in fact ‘well in excess of £10 million’, adding further weight to the suggestion that Stamford Bridge’s demands were at the higher end of what had originally been anticipated.

The Times also add that beyond Maresca’s existing knowledge of Manchester City – having spent time at the Etihad Stadium as part of Guardiola’s coaching staff before his move to Leicester – City’s hierarchy specifically admire the Italian’s man management skills and his commitment to building a team around attacking football.

The speed with which both parties have moved to finalise the paperwork suggests there is little appetite on either side for further delay, with the summer window now firmly open and a pre-season schedule to plan around.

What does Maresca’s arrival mean for Manchester City’s summer?

Maresca’s formal appointment will remove one of the key uncertainties that has hung over the Etihad Stadium since Guardiola’s farewell on the final day of last season, giving Viana and the recruitment team a confirmed managerial voice to align the transfer strategy around.

The Italian’s preferred system – high defensive line, possession-heavy, direct runners from midfield – shapes the kind of signings City will now pursue with greater clarity, with the ongoing pursuit of Elliot Anderson and the monitoring of profiles such as Morgan Rogers understood to fit closely with Maresca’s demands from his players.

Defensive business remains the most pressing concern, with John Stones already departed and the futures of Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji still subject to external interest – meaning Maresca is likely to enter pre-season with at least one significant addition at centre-back still required.

Whether the formal announcement lands before the end of the working week or slips into the weekend, City supporters will not have to wait much longer to see the next chapter at the Etihad Stadium confirmed — with the broader shape of Maresca’s first squad now beginning to take form around him.