End of an era: Guardiola leaves Man City after 10 years as Maresca agrees to succeed him

An era has ended at Manchester City, and a new one is taking shape. Pep Guardiola has left the club after ten extraordinary years, and City have moved swiftly to line up Enzo Maresca, the former Chelsea boss and Guardiola's old assistant, as his successor. It is one of the biggest managerial stories of the year, and it reshapes the landscape at the top of English football. For more, follow the latest football news.

Guardiola's departure brings down the curtain on the most successful chapter in City's history. Across a decade in charge he delivered 17 major trophies, including the treble in 2022/23, and redefined how the English game is played. His final season, though, ended without a league title for the second year running, the first time in his managerial career he has gone back-to-back campaigns without a top-flight crown, with Arsenal taking the 2025/26 Premier League.

That dip, by his own towering standards, appears to have marked a natural end point. Ten years is an age in modern management, and Guardiola leaves having given City a level of dominance few clubs ever experience. Replacing him was always going to be the hardest job in the game, and the board have turned to a familiar face to take it on.

Maresca is the agreed choice, with reports indicating a three-year contract and a compensation package to Chelsea in excess of 17 million pounds. Neither club has formally confirmed the appointment, but the deal is understood to be close to completion, with Maresca expected to travel to Manchester to finalise terms. An official announcement is anticipated imminently.

The logic of the move is rooted in continuity. Maresca served as Guardiola's assistant during the treble-winning 2022/23 season and previously managed City's Elite Development Squad, so he knows the club, its methods and its expectations intimately. His possession-based, positional style echoes the football City fans have grown used to, which should ease the transition even as he stamps his own ideas on the side.

There is, of course, no escaping the scale of the task. Following a manager of Guardiola's stature is daunting for anyone, and Maresca steps into a role where anything short of sustained success will invite scrutiny. As one observer put it, it is a tough act to follow, and expecting him to match what Guardiola achieved would be unrealistic. The challenge is to begin a new cycle, not to reproduce an old one.

Maresca arrives with a growing reputation, having won promotion to the Premier League with Leicester and gained top-flight experience at Chelsea. At City he will inherit a squad still packed with elite talent, but one that may need refreshing after a decade of relentless demands. How he balances evolution with the standards already set will define his early months.

For now, the focus is on the announcement and the dawn of a fresh era at the Etihad. Guardiola's shadow will loom large, but football moves forward, and City are wasting no time in writing the next chapter. For every twist as the managerial picture is confirmed, keep up with the latest football news.