Maresca brings six trusted allies to Man City as Guardiola era backroom staff departs

Enzo Maresca has been confirmed as Manchester City’s new head coach on a three-year contract, and the Italian is wasting no time reshaping the Etihad’s backroom team, with six trusted allies expected to join him from his previous clubs.

The departures from Guardiola’s staff were sweeping. Long-serving right-hand man Manel Estiarte and fitness coach Lorenzo Buenaventura both left after following Guardiola throughout his time in Manchester. Goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor, who had been at the club since the Manuel Pellegrini era, also departed, as did Pepijn Lijnders and assistant Kolo Touré after just 12 months at the club. That leaves set-piece coach James French — who joined from Liverpool last summer — as the sole senior survivor heading into the new era.

Roberto Vitiello, who served as Maresca’s assistant at both Chelsea and Leicester, is expected to follow him to Manchester. The two men share a personal history as well as a professional one, having played together at Palermo during their careers in Italy. Vitiello made close to 500 senior appearances, the bulk of them in Serie B.

Former City goalkeeper Willy Caballero is also likely to return to the Etihad in a coaching capacity. Caballero worked under Maresca at Leicester and Chelsea, and the pair’s connection stretches back to their playing days together at Málaga in Spain.

Danny Walker, another familiar face from Maresca’s recent past, could come in as first-team coach. Walker worked alongside Maresca in the City academy before spells at Peterborough United, Leicester, and Chelsea.

Rounding out the expected arrivals are goalkeeper coach Michele De Bernardin, fitness coach Marcos Alvarez — both of whom first worked with Maresca at Parma — and analyst Javier Molina Caballero. All three have continued to work with Maresca across his last two jobs in England.

All six candidates are currently without a club having left Stamford Bridge when Maresca was dismissed in January. With pre-season training scheduled to begin on 20 July, Maresca will be working with a reduced playing squad in the early weeks, as the majority of City’s first-team players are away at the World Cup.