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Enzo Maresca: Manchester City officially named Enzo Maresca as their new head coach on Monday.
The 46-year-old Italian signed a three-year contract to succeed Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
The announcement brings an end to weeks of speculation following Guardiola's departure after a decade in charge.
City will pay Chelsea more than £17 million in compensation as part of the deal. However, the financial settlement does not end there.
Chelsea also confirmed that a separate confidential agreement was reached with Maresca himself, under which the manager will personally pay compensation to his former club.
Chelsea released a detailed public statement at the same time as City's announcement.
The London club said Maresca had informed them in the fall of 2025 that he was pursuing the opportunity to replace Guardiola — despite being under a long-term contract with no right to terminate it.
Chelsea said Maresca resigned on Jan. 1, 2026, describing his departure as a major disruption to their season.
Maresca had joined Chelsea in 2024 on a five-year deal and won the Conference League and the Club World Cup during his 18 months in charge.
Following his exit, Chelsea turned to Liam Rosenior as interim replacement.
Rosenior was sacked in April after a disastrous second half of the season that saw Chelsea finish 10th in the Premier League, missing out on European qualification entirely.
In a statement posted to Instagram, Maresca acknowledged the damage his departure caused.
He said the decision to leave was entirely his own and apologized for the disruption it created mid-season.
He added that the move was driven by his desire to return to a club he knows well — calling the opportunity to manage City "ecstatic."
This marks Maresca's third spell at Manchester City.
He previously led the Elite Development Squad to the Premier League 2 title in the 2020/21 season before returning as Guardiola's first-team assistant in 2022, contributing to the club's historic treble-winning campaign.
City's chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak described Maresca as someone whose personality, passion and intelligence align with the club's needs.
CEO Ferran Soriano called Maresca the standout candidate in the club's search for Guardiola's successor, pointing to his track record at both Chelsea and Leicester as evidence of his credentials.
City open their Premier League campaign at home to Bournemouth on Aug. 23, having finished runners-up to champions Arsenal last season.
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