Man City chairman reveals three qualities that sealed Enzo Maresca's appointment

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has publicly outlined the three qualities that convinced him to appoint Enzo Maresca as Pep Guardiola’s successor, describing the 46-year-old as an “excellent fit” for the club.

Guardiola departed the Etihad at the end of the season after a decade that yielded six Premier League titles and a Champions League, leaving City with the task of finding a manager capable of sustaining that standard. Al Mubarak pointed to Maresca’s football philosophy, his mindset, and his humanity as the traits that set him apart.

“Enzo is very known to us and we’ve always been very, very attracted by his football, by his mind, by his humanity,” Al Mubarak said. “He is someone that has been part of this club, part of the success of the club, someone we all know very, very well.”

Maresca is far from a stranger to the City setup. He served as an assistant to Guardiola during the 2022/23 treble-winning campaign and previously managed City’s elite development squad. From there, he guided Leicester to promotion from the Championship before moving to Chelsea, where he won the Conference League and Club World Cup before an acrimonious split with the club’s board.

That fractious exit from Stamford Bridge did not concern Al Mubarak, who instead focused on the continuity Maresca brings. The chairman noted that many City players have already worked under the new head coach, including academy graduate Nico O’Reilly.

“He knows every aspect of the club, so the transition will be smooth,” Al Mubarak added. “His brand of football is not too different from the football we play. And he has of course his own philosophy.”

While Maresca’s time alongside Guardiola has inevitably shaped his approach, Al Mubarak was keen to stress that the new manager is not simply a continuation of his predecessor. “He’s also evolved his own philosophy,” the chairman said. “I think Enzo brings a lot to this club. I’m very excited, honestly, about Enzo and I think the fans will appreciate him as a manager.”

Maresca inherits a squad that, despite its recent dominance, finished the Guardiola era without a Premier League title last season, giving the new head coach an immediate challenge to restore City to the summit of English football.