City Watch: Blues appoint Maresca

In the week since I last wrote the City Watch column, there have been a number of developments including the confirmation of our new manager as well as some potential signings almost complete.

A few weeks ago after the conclusion of the season and after I’d stopped mourning over Pep Guardiola leaving, I spoke a lot about Enzo Maresca being the man lined up to take the reigns at the Etihad.

Nothing was confirmed at the time, but now it has officially been released that Maresca will be the man to follow in Pep’s footsteps, signing on a three year deal. 

The delay seemed to have been caused by the compensation that has been agreed between Chelsea, Enzo’s previous Head Coach role, and City.

The London team released a fiery statement after the signing had been confirmed, saying that Manchester City had essentially contacted Enzo back in December 2025, notifying him of Pep’s potential departure and their interest in him for the job.

The Italian then left Chelsea mid season, which now that this has all come out, they don’t seem to have been too impressed by. 

Still, they went low, Enzo went high, he released a statement apologising for the way things ended, I’m sure he’ll get a great reception at Stamford Bridge this season!

One thing is for sure, he’s got a fantastic, young and hungry squad to work with, with reports that he wants a larger number of players as part of his team than Pep did. 

On that note, things have started off well, with the Elliot Anderson signing all but confirmed and completing his medical in Kansas whilst at the World Cup.

I’ve already spoken a little about what he will bring, but he seems like the perfect Bernardo Silva replacement, maybe playing a little more advanced than Rodri, which will allow Rayan Cherki or Phil Foden to have a bit more of a free role in the middle of the park.

The £116 million price tag is a lot to justify, Elliot knows he’ll have to hit the ground running. 

With one signing already wrapped up, I can’t imagine that will be the end of the transfer business for City.