22 May 2026 19:03 BST | 5 min read
Enzo Maresca, Man City
© IMAGO
Cameron Smith
Cameron Smith | Digital Content Producer
Accredited sports journalist covering football since 2020
Enzo Maresca is on the verge of being appointed as the new Manchester City manager following official confirmation that Pep Guardiola will step down from his role this summer.
The former Chelsea boss has been out of work since leaving Stamford Bridge by mutual consent in January and he has been lined up to return to the Etihad Stadium for months, with initial talks taking place while he was still employed by the Blues.
Maresca was Guardiola’s assistant manager during City’s treble-winning campaign in the 2022-23 season, before being appointed by Leicester City, and he is close to returning to the club as their new head coach.
It’s reported that transfer meetings have already taken place between Maresca and the Man City hierarchy, and he could be tempted to raid his former club Chelsea when the window opens in June.
If he looks to snap up one of his Blues stars, who may he pursue?
Enzo Fernandez
This is the most obvious suggestion and it’s a transfer rumour that certainly appears to have legs given Enzo Fernandez’s openness to leaving Chelsea and Maresca’s arrival at Man City.
The Argentina international is evidently not quite satisfied with the current state of affairs at Stamford Bridge, as displayed by his comments back in March" href="https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/transfer-news/uk-premier-league/2026/03/chelsea-transfer-news-enzo-fernandez-real-madrid-psg" target="_blank">as displayed by his comments back in March, and it’s understood that Man City are among his suitors, alongside Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
Fernandez was a pivotal player during Maresca’s stint at Chelsea and he was even promoted to the club’s vice-captain by the Italian following his appointment in 2024.
The 25-year-old was moved into a more advanced midfield role by Maresca and he notched 15 goals and 19 assists in 79 games under the ex-Leicester boss, and it’s therefore no surprise that Man City are eager to pursue a deal this summer.
Marc Cucurella
Marc Cucurella split opinion amongst Chelsea fans during the first two years of his Stamford Bridge career, before he finally established himself as a reliable left-back under Maresca.
Of course, his performances for Spain at Euro 2024 certainly helped too, but Maresca undoubtedly played a key role in Cucurella becoming one of first names on the Chelsea teamsheet.
The 27-year-old was ideally-suited to playing as a full-back in Maresca’s system, given his ability to invert into midfield, while he was a huge threat in the opposition box, resulting in five Premier League goals in 2024-25.
Man City already have Nico O’Reilly, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Josko Gvardiol as options at left-back, so a move for Cucurella may not make sense, despite their historical interest in him and his connection with Maresca.
Marc Cucurella, Chelsea
© IMAGO - Marc Cucurella, Chelsea
Reggie Walsh
It’s a wildcard suggestion, but Maresca handed Reggie Walsh his Chelsea debut against FC Copenhagen in the Europa Conference League semi-final first leg last season, at the age of just 16 years old, before including him in the starting XI for the second leg one week later.
Maresca then gave Walsh his Champions League debut versus Ajax in October, as a 65th minute substitute for Romeo Lavia, with the teenager becoming the second-youngest Englishman to ever play in the competition at the time, behind only Jack Wilshere.
One month before that match, Maresca admitted: “I like all the academy guys but Reggie is the one I like more than the rest. I like Reggie because he is doing things that I'm demanding to the other players, but he is doing those things without me asking him to do that. I don't need to ask him to do something. What he's doing is already what I want from that player.”
Maresca had also previously said that Walsh was “perfect for his system” and it’s therefore not beyond the realms of possibility that he could look to secure a reunion with the Chelsea youngster at Man City.
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