Pep's Potential Successors: Ranking Man City's Top Three Managerial Targets
Manchester City are allegedly preparing for Pep Guardiola's departure this summer and have compiled a candidate list featuring Xabi Alonso, Enzo Maresca and Cesc Fàbregas.
Guardiola penned a two-year contract extension at the start of last season's challenging period to theoretically secure his position at the Etihad through summer 2027. The Spanish tactician has repeatedly emphasized this commitment when questioned about his future, though speculation regarding his possible departure persists.
Premier League rival coaches are believed to privately view this as Guardiola's final campaign, as reported by The Times. City's pursuit of a replacement clearly suggests some level of uncertainty among Manchester officials.
Ex-Chelsea manager Maresca is a recognized candidate and appears on a shortlist that also features former Real Madrid boss Alonso and Como's well-respected Fàbregas, according to The Telegraph.
All three possess experience collaborating with Guardiola in various capacities, yet they represent three vastly different coaching profiles, illustrating the extensive measures City are undertaking to potentially replace the most impactful and accomplished manager of his era, if not all time. It represents an intimidating challenge.
3. Enzo Maresca
Age: 45
Clubs: Parma, Leicester, Chelsea
Matches: 169
Preferred Formation: 4-2-3-1
Honours: Club World Cup, Conference League, Championship
Maresca's connection with City's potentially available managerial role was so evident it contributed to his Chelsea departure. Nevertheless, additional factors in that public breakdown might concern City officials.
As a devoted follower of Guardiola's philosophy, Maresca meets the tactical requirements on paper. As he showed during several high-profile Chelsea matches—notably last summer's Club World Cup final—the Italian strategist can create specialized tactics to neutralize any opposition. Maresca's potential is certainly elevated, though his consistency can fluctuate significantly.
Many Chelsea supporters never embraced Maresca's pursuit of methodical possession in most games. "If you attack quickly, you will face quick counter-attacks and that's not our philosophy, it's not our style," he notably stated.
City are evolving into an increasingly rapid attacking force, with a clear emphasis on recruiting speedy dribblers recently. This brings us to another concern with Maresca: off-field management.
Manchester City function with a distinct sporting director structure—exactly the system Maresca strongly opposed (despite Chelsea having multiple figures in this capacity, versus City's singular approach). Given his reputation in football, Guardiola enjoyed some transfer influence that his former assistant would not receive. City might prefer avoiding that contentious path.
2. Xabi Alonso
Age: 44
Clubs: Bayer Leverkusen, Real Madrid
Matches: 174
Preferred Formation: 3-4-2-1
Honours: Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, DFL-Supercup
Being dismissed by Real Madrid shouldn't permanently damage any manager's reputation. This is an organization that rotates through virtually every coach except Carlo Ancelotti or Zinedine Zidane.
European clubs evidently share this perspective, with Liverpool already allegedly approaching their former player. Following his remarkable achievements at Bayer Leverkusen with an undefeated domestic season in 2023–24, Alonso became the coaching market's most coveted figure.
His reputation has certainly declined over recent months, not without valid reasons. While the specific challenges he encountered at Real Madrid might not recur—City's players already embrace pressing and detailed tactical sessions—his inability to find effective solutions could be troubling.
1. Cesc Fàbregas
Age: 38
Clubs: Como
Matches: 70
Preferred Formation: 4-2-3-1
Honours: N/A
Cesc Fàbregas represents the least experienced yet most intriguing option among the three. Guardiola's former Barcelona player, who admired the Catalan manager during his youth, has Como displaying an exhilarating style of high-intensity football in Serie A.
After achieving an impressive mid-table position in their inaugural season post-promotion last year, the ambitious club currently sits among the division's top six—which seems to undervalue their performance. Como ranks fourth for expected goals scored and conceded, while maintaining the second-strongest actual defensive record in the famously defensive league.
Despite featuring in Spain's squad known for methodical tiki-taka, Fàbregas has developed his distinctive approach through an exceptional range of playing experiences.
"[As a player] I achieved success with Antonio Conte, I succeeded with [José] Mourinho, I triumphed with [Arsène] Wenger, I won with [Pep] Guardiola," he has stated. "I succeeded with every different tactical approach. You'll never hear me claim that one method works while another fails. If you focus solely on results, you can still suffer many defeats. And when it's all 'pass the ball, pass the ball' you can lose frequently that way as well."
It would be captivating to observe how Fàbregas would implement his adaptable methodology with City's elite-level talent. Assuming Guardiola departs, naturally.