Manchester City have confirmed the appointment of Enzo Maresca as their new manager, handing the Italian a three-year contract to succeed Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

City moved decisively for the former Chelsea head coach, agreeing a compensation package in excess of £17m with the London club. The deal reunites Maresca with a hierarchy and environment he knows intimately from his previous spells in Manchester.

Maresca, 46, was part of Guardiola’s backroom staff during City’s historic treble-winning campaign in 2023 and earlier guided the club’s Elite Development Squad to the Premier League 2 title. His familiarity with City’s playing philosophy and internal structure was a key factor in his selection from a field of high-profile candidates.

“Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me,” Maresca said in his first interview with the club. He praised City as “an incredibly well-run football club” where “everything they do is innovative, planned and purposeful,” adding that such stability offers a “dream situation” for a head coach.

The appointment follows a turbulent end to Maresca’s time at Chelsea. He left Stamford Bridge by mutual consent on New Year’s Day, despite having three and a half years remaining on his contract. During his single full season in charge he delivered the UEFA Conference League and Club World Cup, and had Chelsea sitting fifth in the Premier League when he departed.

Chelsea later issued a detailed statement outlining their frustration at the timing and manner of his resignation, revealing that Maresca personally contributed to a confidential financial settlement alongside the compensation paid by City. Maresca responded with a public apology, acknowledging the disruption his mid-season exit caused and insisting it had not been his intention.

Guardiola’s departure brings to a close a decade of unprecedented success in which City collected 17 major trophies but relinquished the Premier League title to Arsenal in his final campaign. Maresca now inherits both the weight of that legacy and a squad carefully constructed for sustained dominance.

Inside the club, his appointment is viewed as evolution rather than revolution: a coach steeped in Guardiola’s positional play principles, yet determined to impose his own ideas as City enter a new era.