Enzo Maresca will take over from Pep Guardiola at Manchester City but he is yet to be announced. The club are still negotiating with Chelsea and have not been able to announce their new coach in a strange week at the Etihad that has involved a legal threat issued to Madrid.
The headlines from the chairman’s interview may be enough to reassure fans as he spoke about Guardiola’s successor and the transfer market in a detailed plan for the summer and what lies ahead, but there are still question marks over the squad as players prepare for the World Cup.
With so many questions to be answered, we’re hosting a weekly Q&A session with our chief City writer Simon Bajkowski. This is your chance to get an answer on anything you want – simply pop your question here and Simon will pick them all up and wrap everything up in one place.
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As you would expect, the managerial appointment and City’s transfer plans feature heavily in this week’s list of questions.
Do you think there is a kind of “jumping ship” vibe in the locker room since Pep left? How does the club plan to keep being attractive? Walid
I have a question: is there a feeling that some City players do not have full trust in Maresca and his playing style? Or is it merely the feelings of them wanting to leave because Pep himself is leaving? Because the Gvardiol news is so confusing to me, he is a starter and I don’t think anyone would take his spot.. but the way the news is circulating made me truly confused. Rodri as well. Douaa
Let’s get straight to the biggest issues then. Rodri and Josko Gvardiol have both said things about their futures this week that have sounded less than committed to City and while some people love to blame misleading headlines or stories, they haven’t been able to in this case.
Both players have basically said they will not talk about their future until after the World Cup, while Rodri has added some cryptic comments that it is only the World Cup that has delayed a decision. The noises from both players have raised panic levels among some fans who think there could be an exodus to follow Guardiola out of the door.
I do wonder if either player would have said what they have said if Guardiola was still here, and it is very natural for footballers to consider their options when circumstances change. Former sporting director Txiki Begiristain described the summer after the Treble in 2023 as horrible, in a large part because players either wanted to move on having not been picked as much as they would have liked, or paid better to reflect their role in such phenomenal success.
Those feelings do not always make public consciousness so that is interesting this time, although it is a World Cup year and when I weigh it up I think they probably would have said the same in previous years. The manager wouldn’t have cared and the players would soon enough fall back into line on their return to Manchester.
That isn’t necessarily what will happen here, although I do think the most likely outcome in each case is Gvardiol and Rodri stay at City next season. Maresca is not Guardiola but he can still inspire players and there is also plenty more that the club has to offer – just ask Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo, who joined in January knowing they would only have 18 months at most with the Catalan.
Rival clubs have looked to use Guardiola leaving to inch them ahead of City in transfer battles, but there isn’t any evidence yet that it is a factor and there is unlikely to be much that comes.
Are City expected to reach an agreement for Anderson by the end of next week if a deal is to be done? Is the compensation for Maresca expected to be agreed this week and announcement expected by the end of next week? Do City usually work on weekends when it comes to transfers, contract negotiations and more? JH
One thing that football journalists should not relish is ever giving timings. Regular readers of the Q&A may remember last week when the person writing this said that Maresca was expected to officially start in a few days; those have been and gone and there is still no announcement.
It’s fair to say that it has taken longer than was expected to sort out with Chelsea so that Maresca can take over, but then it’s also fair that given everybody knows it is happening it doesn’t really matter when the official statement comes as long as Maresca is in place in time next month for pre-season – although again, there should not be much waiting left.
As I write this on Friday afternoon, I would be surprised if there was a deal agreed for Elliot Anderson by the end of the week. However, I can exclusively reveal (I don’t think anyone has asked before) that people at City do work on weekends and they are still confident of landing Anderson.
Hi, Simon. I’d like to ask about Claudio Echeverri’s future and about Josko Gvardiol. What is the probability, in percentage terms, that Gvardiol will extend his contract? And what does the future hold for Claudio Echeverri at the club? Another loan? Thanks! Vladimir
There’s a chance Claudio Echeverri could impress Maresca in pre-season and stick around the first team squad, but given his position on the pitch he likely needs another loan – the loan that everyone was looking for last year – where he can shine regularly in attacking midfield at a good standard.
Gvardiol will be around unless he really wants to go and City receive an astronomical offer for him that barely any clubs in the game could. Whether he signs a new deal is another matter, but there is still confidence at City that he will even if more dialogue is needed.
Are City going to take legal action against Enrique Riquelme, or is the matter still under negotiation? Alex
There was definitely a threat of legal action, Alex, although I’m not sure it will be followed through. The statements from Erling Haaland’s agent and father were probably more in keeping with the general feeling, but the club sometimes have to send out strong reminders.
Riquelme could, of course, escalate the situation if he does any more, but with the election for the Real Madrid presidency at the end of this week there really isn’t long before he will in all likelihood become irrelevant again with Florentino Perez the favourite to keep his position. I think it’s more likely it is forgotten about.
We keep hearing about midfielders on a shortlist. Are these just Anderson alternatives, or players to be considered in addition to the main target? Jackson
There will have to be players that City go for if they can’t get Anderson so some names will be alternatives. However, to take Sandro Tonali as an example, my understanding is that it would not be linked to any move for Anderson.
Given the uncertainty in the midfield with uncertainty around Rodri, Nico Gonzalez, Mateo Kovacic and Tijjani Reijnders, it shouldn’t really be a surprise that City are making plans to sign more than one midfielder in the summer window. At the same time, just because lists are made it doesn’t mean that they are followed through on and midfield in particular this summer will be an area where the club have to be reactive as well as proactive.
What are City’s true/realistic expectations over the next 12 months? Garry
Why is Vincent Kompany not being considered for manager? Stadium1
I thought I’d include these two together for a bit of fun around expectations. I think Vincent Kompany would be the top choice for every City fan and of course he has been considered for manager but the stars have not aligned this time, not least because he is very happy at Bayern Munich with work still to be done there.
Nobody is Pep Guardiola, but I think the expectations of the club will remain the same: to be competitive on all four fronts and try to win silverware. Given two cups were won last season, the league went to the final week and City were in the top eight in the first Champions League stage, that doesn’t feel unrealistic.





Steve Sarkisian and others called out Texas Tech for their weak schedule this Fall.
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