This season could be Guardiola’s last at the Etihad Stadium and City are drawing up contingency plans
Manchester City are searching for a new manager in the event Pep Guardiola decides to leave the club next summer, with Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca one of the leading figures under consideration.
Figures inside the club increasingly suspect that this season could be Guardiola’s last at the Etihad Stadium, according to The Athletic. No final call has been made, however, with any decision or announcements on the manager’s future likely to come later in the campaign.
Like any other club would do, City are drawing up contingency plans. Maresca is well regarded by senior figures at City following previous spells working within the club’s academy setup and as part of Guardiola’s senior coaching staff. That familiarity has kept him firmly on the radar should a vacancy open, though he is understood to be one of several candidates rather than the only choice.
Guardiola’s current contract runs until June 2027, after he signed a two-year extension in November 2024.
There is no indication that the ongoing legal case involving more than 115 Premier League charges against City has any impact on Guardiola’s thinking or the club’s succession planning.
Maresca, meanwhile, is under contract at Chelsea until 2029, with the option of a further year. He has won two trophies at the club so far and appears to be enjoying more and more approval from the fans, but his position has attracted attention in recent days after he described the period after Chelsea’s Champions League loss to Atalanta as “the worst 48 hours since I joined the club, because many people didn’t support us”.
Guardiola has previously suggested he would take an extended break from management after his time at City. In May, he said: “After my contract with City, I’m going to stop. I am sure. I don’t know if I’m going to retire, but I’m going to take a break.”
He also said in October he was eager to continue because he had “completely unfinished business” at City after the poor campaign last season.
