Enzo Maresca pays part of Chelsea compensation to become Manchester City manager
By Andy Hampson and Carl Markham, Press Association
Enzo Maresca has paid part of Chelsea’s compensation package himself in order to become Manchester City manager – with his former club voicing anger over his departure.
The 46-year-old Italian, who resigned as Chelsea head coach midway through last season, has signed a three-year contract to succeed Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
The appointment ends months of speculation after Maresca was linked with a return to City long before Guardiola announced in the final week of the 2025-26 season that he would step down.
Chelsea have revealed that Maresca had informed them last autumn he believed there could be an opportunity to succeed Guardiola.
He left Stamford Bridge abruptly on New Year’s Day after a poor run of form and a breakdown in his relationship with the club’s ownership.
He was expected to be confirmed as City’s new manager soon after Guardiola’s last game, but a six-week delay centred on negotiations over compensation for the remaining three years of his Chelsea contract.
An agreement has now been reached, with the overall compensation package understood to amount to around £17million.
A Chelsea statement read: “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.”
The club added in their strong-worded response they felt “let down” by Maresca’s decision to leave, claiming his “head and heart were focused on another club and another opportunity”.
Writing on Instagram, Maresca apologised for the disruption caused by his exit.
“At the end of December 2025, I made the difficult decision to leave Chelsea,” he wrote. “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 recognise that my departure from Chelsea in the middle of the season caused disruption for the club and I apologise for that. It was neither my intention nor my wish.”
Maresca, who previously worked at the City academy and as Guardiola’s assistant during the 2022-23 treble-winning campaign, had long been regarded as one of the leading contenders to succeed the Spaniard.
As a manager he guided Leicester to promotion to the Premier League in 2024 before leading Chelsea to Conference League and Club World Cup success the following year.
Maresca said: “Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me.
“This is the third time – hopefully it’s the last time I come back and I don’t leave any more.”
Maresca also pledged to preserve City’s footballing identity.
“The idea is to continue as much as we can to dominate games, to play in the opposite side, be aggressive off the ball and with intention on the ball,” he said.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said Maresca was “rejoining an organisation that is entirely in lock-step with his ambition and hunger for achievement”, while chief executive Ferran Soriano pledged to give him “everything he needs to be successful”.
England midfielder Elliot Anderson is set to become City’s first signing of the Maresca era after a reported British record £116million fee was agreed with Nottingham Forest last week.
It is understood Anderson, who is currently at the World Cup, underwent a medical over the weekend and a deal could be completed in the coming days.
On transfers, Maresca said: “The squad is already good, for sure. We need to do some things, but we are working and we will see.”