Enzo Maresca addresses speculations over Man City links

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has addressed recent speculations linking him with a move to Manchester City as Pep Guardiola’s potential replacement, should the Spanish manager decide to end his illustrious managerial tenure at the Etihad Stadium next summer.

This comes following news that broke on Thursday from renowned journalist David Orstein, which indicates that Man City has set its sights on Enzo Maresca as Pep Guardiola’s replacement.

The news comes following a recent outburst by the Blues manager, after their 2-0 victory over Everton at Stamford Bridge last weekend, calling for support from the club hierarchy.

Maresca, who has over three-and-a-half years still left on his Chelsea contract, has his future under intense scrutiny after he described the build-up to the Everton win as “the worst 48 hours since I joined the club—because many people didn’t support us.”

The former Leicester boss quickly addressed the claims as he spoke to the media ahead of the Blues’ Premier League clash with Newcastle United on Saturday.

“It doesn’t affect me at all because I know it’s 100 per cent speculation,” Maresca said.

“In this moment, there is no time for these kinds of things, first of all because I have a contract here until 2029.

“I said many times, my focus is just about this club, and I’m very proud to be here.

“It’s speculation. One week ago, in Italy, it was the same with Juventus.

“I don’t pay attention because I know it’s not true.

“Now it’s important to understand the reason why this news was there. But it’s not my job – I don’t care at all.”

According to reports from The Athletic, its “Sources insist there is a sense of calm and business as usual.”

However, the report confirms Chelsea will conduct a full end-of-season review of Maresca’s position, with Champions League qualification and strong cup runs across all three competitions set as the key benchmarks.

Chelsea have already compiled a shortlist of potential replacements should Maresca depart, though The Athletic emphasises this is standard contingency planning for any top club.

It adds: “This should not be read into too much, given the recent events. It is standard practice and was already in place before Maresca’s outburst last weekend.

“No professional organisation wants to start from scratch in the event someone leaves, whatever the reason for that is. You simply have to prepare for all possibilities.”

The message is unequivocal: Maresca has no intention of leaving Chelsea, and the club has no plans to part ways with him—at least for now—despite having contingencies in place.