Reports suggest Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has entered Manchester City’s succession conversation as a potential replacement for Pep Guardiola. Per The Athletic, the Chelsea boss is described as “high among the candidates” Manchester City are considering to fill the gap Guardiola will leave at the Etihad when he eventually steps down.

Guardiola lauded Maresca earlier this season, calling him “one of the best managers in the world.” That public praise has fed speculation that the current Chelsea coach could be viewed internally as a viable long-term option for City.

Despite signing an extension that runs until the summer of 2027, there is “a growing anticipation” that Guardiola could call it quits at the end of the current campaign. This season marks Guardiola’s 10th at Manchester City; he previously managed four years in Catalonia and three at Bayern Munich, doubling his longest spell at a single club.

Guardiola explained how he felt compelled to continue at City in November 2024 to help steer the club out of a dire run of form. The decline accelerated in the short term before he oversaw a third-place finish, two points above Maresca’s Chelsea, and a run to the FA Cup final. Reports add that any final decision on Guardiola’s future is likely to be delayed until the end of the campaign, consistent with the coach’s history of operating on one-year rolling contracts.

The timing of the story coincides with a challenging period for Maresca at Stamford Bridge. The Italian admitted to experiencing the “worst 48 hours” of his Chelsea tenure after perceived signals of a lack of faith from unnamed parties. Contact with the club’s co-sporting directors and owners has been described as limited, leaving his immediate future uncertain.

Chelsea have Maresca under contract until 2029, and that deal includes a one-year extension clause. While Maresca’s Chelsea agreement is lengthy, the reports note that appetite to continue is not guaranteed on either side as the season progresses.

Chelsea have identified central midfield as the principal area to reinforce but expect any permanent additions to arrive after the summer window. Sources suggest the plan is to recruit depth rather than a headline signing immediately, with one report saying the club are tipped to sign “at least one new midfielder in 2026”.

The immediate rationale is straightforward. First-team minutes are concentrated among a small group. Marc Cucurella is the only Chelsea player to amass more minutes this season than Fernández, with Caicedo also right up there. Injuries have compounded the issue: Dário Essugo has yet to play this season after thigh surgery in September, and Roméo Lavia has been sidelined since early November following another setback after missing the start of the campaign.

Enzo Maresca has therefore been working with limited options. Andrey Santos is the only other natural central midfielder available in the first-team squad, and full backs have been used to plug gaps; Reece James has filled in semi-regularly while Malo Gusto has done similar.

According to The Telegraph, scouting and recruitment work is under way but the idea is that no one will arrive before the summer. The January window would only be exploited if injuries pile up and force action sooner.

There is also a financial consideration about the profile of any target. The club may be reluctant to pay nine-figure fees for a player intended predominantly as rotation cover, particularly given the combined cost of Caicedo and Fernández, which amounts to almost £222 million ($296.5 million) in 2023. Names linked among the game’s brightest prospects have been valued at around £100 million each, a level Chelsea appear unlikely to pursue for a backup role. A more realistic spending bracket mentioned is around £20–40 million.

Candidates discussed in that price range include Atalanta’s Éderson, who has been linked with Barcelona and Manchester United, and the possibility of Conor Gallagher returning to England has also been raised. Gallagher was allowed to join Atlético Madrid in 2024 and has mostly appeared from the bench this season. On selling academy graduates under league rules, Maresca said: “The clubs are compelled to sell players because of the rules. It’s not a Chelsea problem, it is a Premier League problem,” and “The intention from Chelsea is not to sell—but the rules in the end make us. I love that [Franceso] Totti was at Roma for 20 years and a one-club man. My personal opinion is it’s a shame because we all like to see a one-club man. If we want to promote academy players—yes, change the rule.” New Squad Cost Ratio regulations will replace PSR next season.

Enzo Maresca’s unprompted comments after Chelsea’s win over Everton have focused attention on the club’s internal arrangements and the relationship between the manager and those above him. What began as a routine press conference turned into a public airing of frustration that club officials now describe as an “emotional reaction.”

On the back of the Everton victory Maresca said, “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 later added, “I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans,” and in a follow-up said, “I said after the game that I love the Chelsea supporters, they deserve the best, and again, I don’t have nothing to add.”

The manager also pushed back when asked if his remarks were aimed at the club hierarchy, telling reporters, “I was quite clear.” Observers have noted Maresca’s demeanour suggested his grievances were not with supporters or the media, leaving the focus on those in the sporting structure above him.

Chelsea’s decision-making is widely understood to be driven by owners and sporting directors in the BlueCo era, and co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart hold significant responsibility. Reporting has suggested Maresca’s frustrations relate to a need to defend tactics and player rotation, and a sense he may not be fully trusted.

Rotation policy, designed to accelerate the development of young players, has coincided with absences for Cole Palmer, Moisés Caicedo and Levi Colwill and exposed weaknesses during a run of poor results, including the 3–1 defeat to Leeds United. That sequence has prompted scrutiny of substitutions and in-game management from both supporters and, reportedly, internally.

Maresca insisted his commitment remains whole, pledging his “100%” to the role and describing himself as happy at Chelsea. The club will nonetheless carry out the planned end-of-season review of his position in the summer, a process used previously after Mauricio Pochettino’s tenure. The manager’s October decision to align with Jorge Mendes has added another element to the situation.

Ultimately Maresca’s public remarks underline tensions between a manager who is visibly passionate and a club structure that operates by committee. As he himself has shown before, he does not shy from expressing his convictions: “You can feel the fans when they’re not happy,” he said in January 2024. “Probably some people, they take some things for granted. But it’s not like this. Twenty-six wins out of 34, it’s something unbelievable. I arrive in this club to play with this idea. The moment there is some doubt about the idea, the day after, I will leave. It’s so clear. No doubts.”