Manchester City names Enzo Maresca as Pep Guardiola’s successor after confidential settlements with Chelsea

Manchester City named Enzo Maresca as their new first-team manager on Monday, turning to a familiar face as Pep Guardiola’s successor. The move also came with an unusual compensation structure: Chelsea said it was resolved through two confidential settlements, including a separate agreement under which Maresca himself will pay compensation to his former club.

City said Maresca has signed a three-year contract. He takes over after Guardiola, City’s manager for a decade, announced in May that he would step down at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Chelsea set out the circumstances of Maresca’s exit in a statement issued Monday, after City confirmed the appointment. The London club said one confidential settlement had been reached with City and another with Maresca personally. As reproduced by Sky Sports, Chelsea said: “In the circumstances and given the mutual respect between clubs, a confidential settlement has been reached with Manchester City, which includes the payment of compensation. A confidential settlement has also been reached with the former Head Coach under which he will pay compensation.”

Neither club publicly disclosed the figures. Sky Sports and other outlets reported that City’s payment to Chelsea is around 17 million pounds, but that amount has not been officially itemized in public by either club. Chelsea’s statement did not disclose the size of the separate payment it said Maresca will make.

Chelsea said Maresca resigned on Jan. 1, 2026, even though he still had three and a half years remaining on his contract. The club also said it had been told in autumn 2025 that Maresca might pursue the possibility of succeeding Guardiola and said his midseason departure caused disruption to Chelsea’s campaign. Those details were presented in Chelsea’s account of the move.

Maresca later acknowledged that disruption in an Instagram post, also reproduced by Sky Sports. He wrote: “At the end of December 2025, I made the difficult decision to leave Chelsea. The decision was only mine. My resignation from Chelsea opened a path for me to join Manchester City, which is a club I knew very well. I am ecstatic that I have now joined Manchester City. I recognise that my departure from Chelsea in the middle of the season caused disruption for the club and I apologise for that.”

For City, the appointment is a significant succession decision after Guardiola’s trophy-laden spell. When announcing Guardiola’s departure on May 22, City said he would leave with 20 major trophies. Maresca returns for a third spell at the club, having previously worked with City’s Elite Development Squad and later on Guardiola’s staff as an assistant.

That prior experience appears central to City’s choice of successor, with the club opting for a coach who already knows its methods and expectations. On joining City, Maresca said: “This will be my third spell here. I know this club, I know the demands and I know the expectations.”