"Impossible" - Enzo Maresca won't return to Chelsea as Man City lead race, says Fabrizio Romano | OneFootball

Fabrizio Romano says it’s “impossible” to see Enzo Maresca returning for another spell as Chelsea manager, with the Italian tactician a leading candidate for Manchester City.

Maresca left Chelsea earlier this year to be replaced by Liam Rosenior, who himself was then sacked by the Blues this week.

However, the Italian tactician is now seen as more likely to replace Pep Guardiola if and when the current Man City manager steps down, according to Romano on his YouTube channel.

Maresca previously worked under Guardiola at City, and it seems he’s now seen internally as an ideal candidate to continue the Spanish tactician’s work once he’s gone.

Fabrizio Romano on Enzo Maresca links with Chelsea and Man City

Discussing the Maresca situation, Romano played down talk of a possible return to Chelsea now that Rosenior has left, describing it as “impossible” and suggesting taking the City job in the near future was much more likely.

“I maintain my position – Enzo Maresca will not return to Chelsea. Impossible,” Romano said.

“Enzo Maresca is the candidate wanted by Manchester City to replace Pep Guardiola whenever Pep decides to go…This summer, next summer, we will see. But Manchester City internally believe that Maresca is the ideal candidate to take over in the future.

“So I maintain this name. I know you see links with (Vincent) Kompany. I know you see links with more managers, Spanish managers, but my understanding is that the future could be Enso Maresca.

“I say ‘could’ because there is nothing signed, nothing completed. But Maresca is a serious candidate, the leading candidate to become the next Manchester City manager whenever Pep decides to go.”

Is Enzo Maresca right for the City job?

Replacing Guardiola won’t be easy after the tremendous work he’s done at the Etihad Stadium, but Maresca’s time at Chelsea looks pretty impressive with hindsight.

The former Leicester City manager guided the Blues to glory in the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup, while the team has also looked a lot worse since he left.

CFC must have some regrets about letting him go, and it will be interesting to see if he now ends up taking over at a major rival, and if he can be successful there.

The big question for now, however, is if Guardiola will leave this summer or in a year’s time, with no definitive answer on that just yet based on recent reports.