City’s Guardiola Succession Plan Turns Into a Chelsea Compensation Battle

Manchester City are moving closer to appointing Enzo Maresca as their new manager in Manchester after talks with Chelsea over compensation advanced in late June 2026. The deal would mark the start of City’s first post-Pep Guardiola era after a decade shaped by domestic dominance, European success and a tactical identity few clubs have matched.

The delay is not about whether Maresca fits City’s football model; it is about money, contracts and the fallout from his exit from Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Day. Chelsea believe they should be compensated because Maresca still had three-and-a-half years left on his contract when he left the club.

The Full Story

City are close to reaching a financial settlement with Chelsea that would allow them to appoint Maresca, according to The Guardian’s report on the negotiations. Chelsea’s position is that they lost a manager whose sudden departure destabilised a season that eventually ended with a 10th-place Premier League finish and no European qualification.

The compensation figure has been reported differently across outlets, but the direction of travel is clear. The Guardian said a settlement worth more than £10m was the likely outcome, while Sky Sports reported a figure above £17m, equivalent to €20m. Chelsea and City both declined to comment when contacted by the outlets.

The dispute is tied to what Chelsea believe happened before Maresca left Stamford Bridge. The Guardian reported that Chelsea believe they have evidence the Italian breached his contract by speaking to City while still their manager, though the club has continued negotiating rather than reporting City to the Premier League.

City’s timing has softened the sporting impact of the delay. BBC Sport reported that players not involved in World Cup action are expected back for pre-season in mid-July, while City have 19 players away at the tournament. That gives the club some space to complete the administrative side before Maresca starts shaping the squad on the grass.

The Main Players

Maresca is not an outsider being parachuted into the Etihad. He previously led City’s Elite Development Squad to the Premier League 2 title in 2020/21, then served as Guardiola’s assistant during the 2022/23 treble season. That history matters because City are not simply hiring a coach; they are trying to protect a style of play built over many years.

Pep Guardiola is the benchmark hanging over the whole appointment. Sky Sports reported that he left at the end of the 2025/26 season after 10 years in charge and 17 major trophies, while the Mirror described his haul as 20 trophies. Either way, the size of the job is plain enough: Maresca is stepping into the dugout after the most successful managerial spell in City’s modern history.

Chelsea are the other central actor because Maresca’s Stamford Bridge exit created the current compensation problem. They paid Leicester £8m to release him two years ago, and later made another multimillion-pound payment to Strasbourg to bring in Liam Rosenior as his replacement.

There is also the squad itself. Bernardo Silva has left, John Stones has also departed according to the Mirror, and BBC Sport says City have already had two bids rejected for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson. The Manchester Evening News reported that City reached an agreement with Forest for Anderson, though it said claims of a Friday medical were wide of the mark because the player remained focused on England’s World Cup campaign.

Key Statistics

Three years: the deal Maresca is expected to sign at Manchester City, according to Sky Sports and the Mirror.

Three-and-a-half years: the length of contract Maresca still had at Chelsea when he left Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Day, a key reason Chelsea want compensation.

More than £10m to more than £17m: the range reported for the likely Chelsea compensation settlement, showing how costly elite managerial moves can become when contract disputes sit behind them.

19 City players: the number away at the World Cup, which explains why pre-season planning can be delayed without immediately disrupting the whole squad.

What This Means

For City supporters in Britain, this is the first real glimpse of life after Guardiola. The club appear to be choosing continuity rather than a dramatic break: a coach who knows the academy, knows the first-team environment and worked inside Guardiola’s staff during the treble season.

The risk is that familiarity does not automatically equal authority. Sky Sports noted that only Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Rico Lewis, Rodri, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland remain from the treble-winning squad Maresca worked with, and even then Rodri and Ake’s futures were described as uncertain. That means he is inheriting a club he understands, but not the same dressing room.

There is some reassurance from within the Haaland camp. Alf-Inge Haaland told RMC Sport that no one can replace Guardiola, but described Maresca as a good choice and said he thinks the Italian will get along well with Erling. That matters because Haaland remains the most important attacking figure in the squad, and any new manager needs his main striker fully engaged from day one.

What to Expect

The next confirmed step is the completion of the Chelsea settlement and City’s formal announcement. Sky Sports said Maresca was expected to travel to Manchester within 24 hours to complete the move, while the Mirror reported that he had already spent time at the club’s training ground studying squad data and preparing pre-season sessions.

Once confirmed, the early focus will be squad talks, midfield planning and the return of non-World Cup players in mid-July. With Bernardo Silva gone and Anderson heavily linked, Maresca’s first few weeks will be as much about shaping the dressing room as setting out training drills.