Hefty Penalty for Bad Behaviour: Millions Man City Will Pay Chelsea for ‘Poaching’ Enzo Maresca

Manchester City will have to pay Chelsea a huge sum after officially naming Enzo Maresca as their new manager on a three-year contract.

The move marks a return to the Etihad for Maresca, who previously served as an assistant to Pep Guardiola for a year. To finalise the appointment, City paid Chelsea £17 million (Ksh2.9 billion) in compensation for their former head coach.

Maresca had long been considered the frontrunner to succeed Guardiola, whose departure at the end of the 2024-25 season was confirmed earlier. However, the appointment was delayed by protracted negotiations over the compensation package demanded by Chelsea.

The West London club stated that Maresca had informed them of the potential opportunity at City and made his desire to pursue it clear.

Chelsea claimed his resignation at the start of the year was a "major contributing factor" to their disappointing season. In a statement, Maresca expressed his regret: "I recognise that my departure from Chelsea in the middle of the season caused disruption for the club and I apologise for that. It was neither my intention nor my wish."

A statement from Chelsea confirmed the resolution: "No club wants to change its head coach midway through a season. In the circumstances and given the mutual respect between clubs, a confidential settlement has been reached with Manchester City, which includes the payment of compensation. A confidential settlement has also been reached with the former head coach under which he will pay compensation."

Maresca was part of Guardiola's coaching staff during the historic 2022-23 treble-winning campaign, where City conquered the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League. The club closely monitored his progress at Leicester and Chelsea, identifying his style of play as a perfect fit to continue Guardiola's legacy. City made him their top target, confident he possesses the character to follow one of the Premier League's greatest managers.

"Manchester City is a club I know very well and to have the chance to manage this team is a brilliant opportunity for me," Maresca said. "City is an incredibly well-run football club. Everything they do is innovative, planned and purposeful. For a manager, that is a dream situation."

He added: "This will be my third spell here. I know this club, I know the demands and I know the expectations. The quality of the people who work here is what makes it so special, and I want to thank them for showing faith in my ability. I cannot wait to start coaching the players."

After taking charge of Leicester in June 2023 and guiding them to immediate promotion, Maresca moved to Chelsea. He led the London side to a Conference League title and the inaugural Club World Cup in 2025 before a fallout with the board led to his abrupt exit on January 1st.

Maresca now takes the helm of a City team that has gone two seasons without a league title and recently lost key players Bernardo Silva and John Stones. However, the squad remains strong and is expected to be bolstered by the imminent £116 million signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.