Manchester City announce five backroom staff exits after Pep Guardiola departure | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola’s assistants Kolo Toure and Pepijn Lijnders have followed the Catalan through the exit door, Manchester City have confirmed.

Guardiola managed his final Manchester City game in a 2-1 defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday, with the club confirming in post-match farewell celebrations that backroom staff trio Xabier Mancisidor, Lorenzo Buenaventura and Manuel Estiarte were also leaving.

The Etihad Stadium will witness a major revamp on and off the pitch over the course of the summer as director of football Hugo Viana works in conjunction with incoming Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca to navigate the beginning of a new era at the club.

Maresca is set to be confirmed as the new Manchester City head coach this week, with the 46-year-old Italian set to bring back former City goalkeeper Willy Caballero to the club as part of his coaching staff.

Man City announce five coaching staff departures

As City fans await an official confirmation of Maresca’s appointment, the club have announced on Tuesday that in addition to Mancisidor, Buenaventura and Estiarte – Pepijn Lijnders and Kolo Toure have also left the club ahead of the 2026-27 season.

This means that Maresca will oversee a complete refresh of City’s assistant and backroom staff upon his arrival at the Etihad Stadium, with the former Manchester City EDS and first-team assistant coach agreeing a three year deal to replace Guardiola.

Pep Lijnders, who previously served as Jurgen Klopp‘s right-hand man at Liverpool, was recruited by Guardiola last summer before Toure joined up following a trial run in the coaching team at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

It is worth noting that Manchester City have retained set-piece coach James French, who also joined alongside Lijnders and Toure, despite the departure of Guardiola and five of his assistants.

As reported by Simon Bajkowski of the Manchester Evening News, French is expected to stay into the new season as Maresca prepares to bring in his trusted coaching staff – as and when he is confirmed as Guardiola’s successor.

What does the summer have in store for Maresca and Viana?

Maresca is understood to have held preliminary discussions with Viana over Manchester City’s transfer and pre-season plans, having rested and recharged since he parted ways with Chelsea on New Year’s Day after falling out with Stamford Bridge officials.

Meanwhile, Viana will spearhead City’s rebuild this summer amid plans to sign Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson to replace departing captain Bernardo Silva, who also bid farewell to the club across Sunday and Monday.

City also have a new right-back on the radar but Matheus Nunes‘ excellent displays as a continued makeshift solution in the position could see the club prioritse the strengthening of other areas of the squad Maresca will inherit.

The last few weeks have seen the Blues linked with Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez and Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi as an exciting summer of change awaits Manchester City, who are set to embark on a season without Guardiola for the first time since 2016.