Pep Guardiola may not be leaving Manchester City any time soon, but a key member of his coaching staff looks set to depart.
Guardiola and his supremely talented group of players have deservedly received most of the praise for their treble-winning season, but such a remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the club’s army of backroom staff.
From coaches to kit men, cooks to masseurs, everyone has played their part. Yet perhaps the most important off-field figures behind Guardiola are his assistants.
Enzo Maresca is one of them, but he now looks set to venture out on his own.
According to talkSPORT, the Italian coach has agreed terms to become the new manager of Leicester City.
As reported by The Guardian, the 43-year-old will have the blessing of City and Guardiola.
This won’t be the first time one of Pep’s assistant coaches has left the club to take up the top job elsewhere.
Mikel Arteta spent three years in City’s dugout before he left to become Arsenal manager in late 2019.
Last season the Gunners went toe-to-toe with City for the Premier League title, although in the end the master defeated his apprentice.
Juanma Lillo and Domenec Torrent have done similar, although unlike Arteta they had previous managerial experience.
This won’t be Maresca’s first managerial rodeo either. He left his role as City’s EDS manager in 2021 to take the top job at Italian side Parma.
However, he lasted just 14 matches before being sacked and returned to City last summer to join Guardiola’s backroom staff.
Upon Maresca’s return, City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “His experience in a number of leagues and relationship with many of our current staff and players will be an invaluable asset to Pep and his team.”
The former West Brom player might only have worked as Guardiola’s understudy for one campaign, but he’ll need to draw on that experience if he is to navigate a tough assignment at Leicester.
The Foxes have just suffered relegation from the Premier League and so the pressure will be on to bounce straight back up.
Several first-teamers – including Youri Tielemans – are moving on upon the expiration of their contracts, while James Maddison and Harvey Barnes also look set to depart.
Guardiola will likely bring in a coach to replace Maresca. Lillo – who is currently the head coach of Qatari outfit Al Sadd – was drafted in to help with City’s preparations for the FA Cup and Champions League finals.
Torrent – who worked with Pep at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City – is currently unemployed having managed New York City FC, Flamengo and Galatasaray since leaving the Etihad Stadium in 2018.
