“Welcome back,” Khaldoon al-Mubarak said warmly when Enzo Maresca was named Manchester City’s manager last month. Having already spent two periods at the club, the Italian must now satisfy the chairman and make sure his three-year deal runs its full course. Doing so will require him to build upon Pep Guardiola’s remarkable decade, during which City collected 20 trophies.
For the 46-year-old, who assisted Guardiola during the treble-winning 2022-23 campaign and led City’s elite development squad two years earlier, the route to success can be expressed simply: retain Rodri. Real Madrid, however, appear highly likely to make an offer for the outstanding defensive midfielder, who reportedly has an interest in joining the Spanish club. His departure from City could therefore become unavoidable.
Maresca’s strongest chance of avoiding the fate of David Moyes – who replaced Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in May 2013 but managed only 34 Premier League matches – is to keep Rodri and prosper as the successor to an iconic manager. The midfielder recently captained Spain to World Cup success and received the Golden Ball as the competition’s finest player. The 30-year-old’s contract expires in June, but City insist they do not intend to sell him and continue trying to secure his signature on an improved agreement that has been available for some time.
Claiming that City will challenge for the leading honours next season if Rodri stays may initially seem overly straightforward, but his record highlights his enormous influence. He was central to the club’s treble, scoring the decisive goal against Inter in the Champions League final. City also completed 74 consecutive matches without defeat when he played between February 2023 and May 2024. Guardiola described him as extraordinary, impossible to replace and comfortably the world’s leading midfielder.
His World Cup victory followed success with Spain at Euro 2024 and with City at the 2023 Club World Cup, where he was again selected as the best player in both tournaments. Injuries disrupted the two seasons preceding the World Cup, though, and City failed to win the Premier League in either campaign, ending Guardiola’s unprecedented sequence of four straight championships.
Rodri’s performances at the World Cup once more demonstrated his gift for shaping and commanding matches. The semi-final against France offered a clear example as Spain restricted their opponents and controlled proceedings. Such authority is invaluable in both club and international football. If Maresca can include Rodri in his team, City will remain intimidating in England and across Europe. The back problem that required surgery on Monday is not considered serious, but the midfielder still wants to explore opportunities elsewhere, particularly in Spain, so his continued presence is far from guaranteed. Real Madrid president Florentino Pérez was initially reluctant to pursue him, but that position appears to have changed, probably because of Rodri’s renewed form at the World Cup and perhaps because returning head coach José Mourinho values his composure and elegance.
City have spent £116m this summer on Elliot Anderson, an established starter for England, and could add Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. The 18-year-old impressed for Morocco at the World Cup and may command a fee of approximately £85m. Nevertheless, neither player – nor Tijjani Reijnders, Mateo Kovacic or Nico González – can currently match Rodri’s level. His World Cup displays may even put him in contention for a second Ballon d’Or.
Maresca guided Leicester to the Championship title in 2024 before taking Chelsea to fourth place in the Premier League and winning the Conference League the following season. He then added the expanded Club World Cup, defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the final. Those achievements persuaded al-Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano that Maresca is capable of succeeding after Guardiola’s era-defining reign.
Quick Guide
Gvardiol expects major achievements with Maresca
Show
Joško Gvardiol has agreed to a new five-year contract with Manchester City and believes the club can accomplish “great things” under new manager Enzo Maresca.
The agreement also contains an option for another 12 months, and the Croatian defender expects the Italian’s opening campaign to go well. Gvardiol recalled how challenging it was to face Maresca’s Chelsea side between 2024 and 2026, especially away from home, and said he believes they can now achieve significant success together.
The 24-year-old has played 122 times and won six trophies for City since completing a £77m transfer from RB Leipzig in 2023. He was also chosen as the club’s player of the season for 2024-25.
Gvardiol said that he was still relatively young when he arrived and had gained considerable knowledge during his first three years from teammates and friends, both in the dressing room and during matches.
He added that he still has plenty to develop and understand, but at only 24 years old, he believes there is ample time to continue improving.
We appreciate your response.
Maresca nevertheless acknowledged during Friday’s introduction that replacing a hugely successful manager carries considerable danger, referring to the period following Sir Alex Ferguson. The parallel with Moyes is not exact, however. Moyes joined United without a trophy or experience of handling the demands surrounding an elite institution. Maresca’s record includes 18 months in Chelsea’s intense environment, while his previous work at City means he already understands the organisation in which he now holds such an important position.
City have five weeks left in the transfer window to convince Rodri that he should remain. Guardiola never wanted to prevent a player from leaving when that individual wished to move, and the reasoning is clear: keeping someone who no longer wants to be there benefits nobody. Rodri’s situation also involves a desire to return to his home city. In March, he explained that his previous spell with Atlético Madrid would not rule out representing Real Madrid. Other footballers have followed that path indirectly, he noted, adding that rejecting one of the game’s foremost clubs would be extremely difficult.
Real Madrid’s decision to stay away from the November 2024 ceremony at which Rodri received the Ballon d’Or – a protest after Vinícius Júnior did not win – has evidently not weakened the midfielder’s belief that the Bernabéu could become the kind of home al-Mubarak says City is for Maresca.
What do you feel about this post?
Like
Love
Happy
Haha
Sad
