WILL ENZO MARESCA REPLACE PEP GUARDIOLA: MAN CITY PLOT SHOCK MOVE FOR CHELSEA BOSS
Why is Enzo Maresca questioning his Chelsea future? New reports link the Italian to a sensational Man City return in 2026.
Word is, Chelsea's manager, Enzo Maresca, is high up on Man City's list to replace Pep Guardiola when he eventually leaves. He's had two stints at City before and could be back for a third when Guardiola, the star coach, decides to leave the team.
Guardiola's contract: Will he break it?
The Athletic says City is already planning for 2026, just in case Guardiola leaves before his contract ends in 2027.
Some sources say that people think this might be Guardiola's last season at City, and he'll probably decide for sure closer to the end of the season. The team wants to make sure they have a good replacement ready.
Maresca is still well-liked at City and is expected to be a top pick if the job opens up. He's not the only one they're thinking about, but he's definitely on their radar.
Guardiola wants to take a breather after City.
City knows Guardiola usually waits relatively late before deciding what to do, so they need to be prepared. The Athletic also says that the Financial Fair Play case, which is a big issue for City, doesn't affect Guardiola's situation.
He's said before that he wants to take a break from coaching after his time at City. Having been in England since 2016, Guardiola mentioned, “After my contract with City, I’m going to stop. I am sure. I don’t know if I’m going to retire, but I’m going to take a break.”
What Maresca said about his 'worst 48 hours'
Maresca, who's been managing Chelsea since 2024, makes sense as Guardiola's replacement. He used to coach City's U21 team in 2020-21 and was later an assistant coach for the first team after managing Parma for a bit.
He has a contract with Chelsea until 2029, and the team can extend it for another year. But people are wondering about his future because he seemed to question whether he's getting enough support from Chelsea's bosses.
Before their 2-0 win against Everton, which ended a four-game losing streak, he said, “The way the players want to learn has been amazing, and that's why I'm praising them. They're doing great, even with so many issues after a tough week. Since I started at the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't back us.”
He added, “Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support the team and me.” When asked who wasn't supporting him, Maresca said, "In general. In general. I love the fans, and we are very happy with the fans.”
Kompany is another possible replacement for Guardiola.
Guardiola seems to want someone familiar to take over. He recently said about Maresca, who has won big titles with Chelsea, “Look what happened after Leeds [a 3-1 loss for the Blues]. One of the best managers in the world, Enzo Maresca—I know him quite well—but the job he has done at Chelsea does not get enough credit.
“Winning the Club World Cup, the Conference League, and qualification for the Champions League in a league that is so tough with a young team. It is exceptional. And he rotated, and look what happened?”
Vincent Kompany, who used to captain City and win Premier League titles, is also being mentioned as a possible replacement. He's now coaching Harry Kane and his teammates at Bayern Munich in Germany.
AWONIYI DOUBLE LEAVES NOTTINGHAM FOREST ON THE VERGE OF PREMIER LEAGUE SAFETY
Nottingham Forest moved closer to safety with a 3-1 win over Chelsea, while West Ham fell into the relegation zone after Spurs won.
_1777914166.webp)
Nottingham Forest came out of the weekend looking pretty safe after pulling off an impressive 3-1 win at Chelsea. They’re almost clear of the relegation mess. Tottenham’s big away win at Aston Villa shook things up too, and now West Ham are back in the bottom three, running out of time faster than ever.
Forest have stepped up just when they needed to, leaving West Ham and Tottenham behind with a string of solid performances. Honestly, no one saw this coming, especially since Vitor Pereira shuffled his lineup with eight changes, fresh off a Europa League win against Aston Villa.
Even so, Forest were ahead within 90 seconds, thanks to Taiwo Awoniyi’s quick strike. By the 15th minute, Igor Jesus calmly buried a penalty after Malo Gusto’s reckless foul in the box. Chelsea had a chance to get back in it, but Cole Palmer wasted a penalty right before the break after a scary head collision involving Jesse Derry.
Awoniyi doubled down and scored again early in the second half, pushing Forest six points ahead of West Ham with just three games left.
West Ham’s weekend started badly; they looked flat and lost to Brentford. Things got worse Sunday night when Tottenham pulled off their first back-to-back Premier League wins since August 2025, beating a heavily rotated Aston Villa side 2-1.
Forest is now out of West Ham’s reach, or almost. Tottenham’s still close enough for Nuno Espirito Santo’s team to worry, but with three tough games coming up, Spurs could stay up even without another win, unless West Ham digs deep and pulls off something unexpected before their home finale against Leeds.
Right now, Forest can practically taste safety. Spurs finally see a way out after weeks of struggle. As for West Ham, they’re left hoping for a miracle, a last-minute twist to dodge the drop.
CESC FABREGAS CONFIRMS INTEREST IN PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN AMID CHELSEA'S MANAGER SEARCH
As Chelsea searches for a new manager, Cesc Fabregas breaks his silence on his future at Como and his Premier League ambitions.
Cesc Fabregas recalls exactly how a conversation with Jose Mourinho prompted him to join Chelsea, despite having the opportunity to return to Arsenal.
After winning six trophies in just three seasons, the Spanish World Cup winner left Barcelona for the second time in 2014. That summer, Fabregas made a move back to the Premier League, signing with Chelsea for about €33 million.
He already knew English football well. Fabregas had arrived at Arsenal as a 16-year-old from Barcelona in 2003 and made 212 Premier League appearances for them. When he decided to leave Barcelona, Manchester City also wanted him, but Chelsea convinced him, mostly thanks to Mourinho.
Talking with talkSPORT’s Rory Jennings on YouTube, Fabregas laid out how it all happened. “Honestly, when I made up my mind to leave Barcelona, my first thought was just to go back to Arsenal. They had this buyback clause; they had two weeks to use it after I told them I was leaving. They knew about it but didn’t take it. That surprised me a little, but in the end, I had to think about my career. I was 27, at the peak of my career, and I wanted to continue performing and winning trophies. City and Chelsea were both options.
“But when Mourinho spoke to me, that was it. He showed me his plans for the team and told me about Diego Costa, Courtois, and Filipe Luis and how, with those guys, we’d win the league. He was right, by the way. We won both the Premier League and the Carling Cup.”
Fabregas wasted no time winning over Chelsea fans. On his debut at Burnley, he set up two goals, including a stunning assist for Andre Schurrle. He finished his first season at Chelsea with five goals and 24 assists, along with Premier League and League Cup medals.
Things dipped the next season. Fabregas got just 15 goal contributions, and Chelsea slipped all the way to tenth. But when Antonio Conte took charge in 2016-17, they bounced back, and Fabregas picked up another league title.
He added an FA Cup win in 2018, his second, after his earlier one with Arsenal, and left for Monaco a few months later. His last Chelsea match came in the FA Cup against Nottingham Forest. When he got subbed off, he couldn’t hold back tears.
Chelsea supporters still sing about him; that “Oh, Fabregas is magic...” chant sticks around. And with his name in the conversation for a possible return, maybe they haven’t seen the last of him yet.
Must Read
