Fans forget that Enzo Maresca was once a Hammer
The current Manchester City manager, Enzo Maresca, is in a bit of a predicament right now, with his club being found guilty of breaking financial regulations. This could have big implications for his future, as there has been speculation that the club will face a points deduction that will see it relegated from the Premier League.
Maresca may not stay on if City is relegated. However, he knows how to get out of the Championship, having won the division with Leicester City in the 2023/24 campaign. West Ham United fans will be hoping to get out of the second tier this season, so they may be going up when City are going down.
The job Maresca did with Leicester led to him becoming Chelsea manager. With the Blues, he won the Europa Conference League and the Club World Cup. However, when he knew that he was in line to take over from Pep Guardiola at City, he spoke out of turn in press conferences, and this led to him leaving Chelsea.
In hindsight, it may not have been such a smart move to go to City given the allegations against them. However, the current Chelsea ownership, BlueCo, has undoubtedly been difficult for many managers to work under since they took over from Roman Abramovich.
Maresca was also Guardiola's assistant at City and managed their Under-21s. These jobs at City sandwiched a short stint managing Parma. Before his time with City's U21s, Maresca was Manuel Pellegrini's assistant at West Ham.
Enzo Maresca was highly rated as a coach at West Ham
Pellegrini had played under Maresca at Malaga, and that is where the connection came from. Maresca had been credited with carrying out excellent training sessions and game plans under Pellegrini at West Ham. However, when Pellegrini was sacked, Maresca followed him out of the door. This was despite Maresca being offered the opportunity to continue at West Ham under David Moyes.
Maresca and City face an uncertain future, and his position will likely depend on the punishment that City receives. This is also subject to an appeal from the club, which could drag on. His success with Leicester and Chelsea has shown that he is an elite manager.
Also, this season on the field has been very promising for City. Maresca has won 10 out of his 13 games in charge. City are currently top of the Premier League, albeit only on goal difference to Arsenal. His only defeats came against the Gunners in the Community Shield, against defending Champions League winners PSG in the competition, and a recent loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Maresca will now be able to get some of the biggest coaching jobs in football. However, maybe one day we will see him back at West Ham as the manager.
