Sports
Man City target “contagious” title-winner as Pep successor
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola‘s future at The Etihad has been thrown into doubt in recent days, despite his current contract running through to 2027.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein recently reported that Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is on the club’s list of contingency options in case the Spanish tactician moves on in the summer of 2026.
City are said to be drawing up contingencies in the event that Guardiola decides to call time on his spell with the Cityzens at the end of the current season, with Maresca one of the names at the top of the list.
Manchester City eye former player as Pep successor
The Chelsea head coach is not the only name on their list of potential replacements for Guardiola, however, as another name has emerged in a fresh report.
According to TEAMtalk, Hugo Viana has drawn up a shortlist of candidates for the job because the club are aware that their manager may step back in the summer of 2026.
The report claims that former City captain and current Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany is being considered as an option, alongside Maresca.
It adds that Mikel Arteta was once planned to be Guardiola’s natural successor, having previously been one of his coaches, but his success at Arsenal has changed their plans, with Kompany now coming into the frame.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not the former Premier League central defender is open to moving on from the German giants to return to The Eithad next summer.
Why Man City should appoint Kompany
If Guardiola decides to leave the club at the end of the current season, Viana should avoid a move for Maresca and, instead, push to appoint Kompany as the new head coach.
Maresca, having been an assistant to Pep in the past, would make sense on paper. He won the Club World Cup and the Conference League in his first season with the Blues, to his credit.
However, he has yet to prove that he can win a title in a major European league, as the Spaniard finished fourth in the Premier League last season and currently has his side in fourth place.
Kompany, who scored that brilliant goal in a title-race for City in the clip above, has experience winning titles as both a player and a manager in the major European leagues.
The former Belgium international won four Premier League titles with the Cityzens as a player and won the Bundesliga title in his first season with Bayern as a head coach.
|
Stats |
Maresca (Chelsea) |
Kompany (Bayern) |
|---|---|---|
|
Titles won |
0 |
1 |
|
Games managed |
89 |
80 |
|
Wins |
55 |
59 |
|
Draws |
14 |
11 |
|
Losses |
20 |
10 |
|
Goals scored |
186 |
235 |
|
Points per game |
2.01 |
2.35 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
||
As you can see in the table above, Kompany has had more success at Bayern than Maresca has had at Chelsea, with more wins and far more goals scored in nine fewer games managed, averaging 0.34 more points per game.
On top of winning the Bundesliga in his first season in charge of the German giants, after Bayer Leverkusen had won the division in the 2023/24 campaign, his side are currently top with 12 wins and two draws in 14 matches.
Kompany, whose leadership was described as “contagious” by former City forward Leroy Sane, has proven that he can manage the expectations that come with being the head coach of an elite winning-machine of a club, like Bayern.
The German giants expect greatness and trophies every season, which Kompany is currently delivering, and Guardiola has ensured that the expectation is the same at Manchester City, with four Premier League titles in the last four seasons.
That is why the Belgian boss could be the perfect fit as a successor in the dugout at The Etihad because he knows the club, he knows the Premier League, and he knows how to win trophies whilst managing a club with high expectations.
Maresca fits the first two criteria but is yet to show that he can coach a team to win a title at the top level, which is why there is still some doubt about whether or not he would be a good option to replace Guardiola.
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City have joined the race for a Premier League player.
Therefore, Kompany should be Viana’s number one option to be Manchester City’s next manager, if they are in the market for one next summer, as he would be an upgrade on Maresca and an ideal replacement for Pep.
