Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak spoke about the transition from Pep Guardiola to Enzo Maresca
Khaldoon Al Mubarak of Manchester City gives his annual Chairman's interview at the Manchester City Football Academy on 25 May, 2026 in Manchester, England (Photo by Lexy Ilsley / Manchester City FC)
Khaldoon Al Mubarak of Manchester City gives his annual Chairman's interview at the Manchester City Football Academy on 25 May, 2026 in Manchester, England (Photo by Lexy Ilsley / Manchester City FC)
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Manchester City's chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak believes the club will go from 'strength to strength' as Enzo Maresca replaces Pep Guardiola as manager. The Italian has taken on the mantle of replacing one of the best managers seen in football after signing a three-year deal at the Etihad.
If it is a great unknown to City how they will cope after a decade with Guardiola, they have moved for a familiar face in Maresca. This is the 46-year-old's third spell at the club after stints as Under-21 coach and then Guardiola's assistant.
In just two years in Manchester, Maresca made a big impression on the City hierarchy and his career has been followed with interest. That led to conversations last season while he was still Chelsea manager about if he would be interested in replacing Guardiola.
Chelsea believe that Maresca wanted it so badly he was willing to leave Stamford Bridge, and there was a messy departure at the end of 2025 that has resulted in City paying £17m to Chelsea in compensation for appointing him. Nevertheless, it is telling that City have been willing to wait and to pay it.
"I think Enzo brings a lot to this club," said chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. "I’m very excited, honestly, about Enzo and I think the fans will appreciate him as a manager, his football philosophy, his football and how the team is going to perform and go from strength to strength with Maresca’s leadership. I think it will be a great addition to the team.
"This is a big challenge – this scares off many people. The beauty with Enzo is he actually wants that challenge; he loves that challenge. Enzo is very known to us and we’ve always been, I would say, very, very attracted by his football, by his mind, by his humanity. He’s another very, very special individual and we’ve seen him evolve as a manager."