Manchester City could be set to lose coach Enzo Maresca for the second time in three summers, with reports suggesting he is set to become the new manager of Leicester City.
Maresca was the Elite Development Squad head coach for the 2020/21 season, ending the academy's wait for a Premier League 2 title at the same attempt. The popular Italian, who played for Juventus, Sevilla, West Brom and Palermo among others, twice won the UEFA Cup in a successful career.
He was assistant manager at Sevilla and West Ham - where he coached alongside former City boss Manuel Pellegrini - before taking the role as Academy Head Coach at City three years ago.
In his first year at City, Maresca told the talented players in the academy that it was time to win the Premier League 2 after years of trying. He led the likes of Cole Palmer, Tommy Doyle, Liam Delap, James McAtee and Taylor Harwood-Bellis to winning the league, instilling a confidence in the side to fulfill their potential.
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He described the PL2 title as the best trophy he has won in his career at the time, with McAtee recalling that he introduced a no-nonsense approach to the campaign. “When Enzo came in he said: ‘This has never been done before, we want to make history and win the league.’ And we went and did it,” McAtee explained.
Doyle added: “I’ve been with the U23s for a few years and I’ve seen the different styles and coaches. It wasn’t based on winning, it was about playing nice football, which is nice but you want to win. Soon as Enzo came in he said: ‘Listen, we’re going to win this league.’
“When a coach says that, you start to believe as players. Sometimes when you want to win as a player and your coach is saying different things and not really focussed on winning, you get off track. He came and said we want to win, it’s easier said than done but when you tell yourself that you have a very good chance with the ability we have as players."
“If you take the foot off the gas and think you’ve cracked it, he’ll put you on the bench. Every player now in training or games has given 110% because your spot isn’t guaranteed. I know we’ve got to go out and implement the new tactics but what Enzo’s told us to do and how the games have planned out is everything that he’s said."
Another of Maresca's man-management techniques was to allow Josh Wilson-Esbrand to lift the 2021 trophy after a frustrating year of injuries where he didn't play.
Many of that squad have gone on to play in first-team squads elsewhere, either permanently or on loan, and Maresca also went on to a first-team role as he left to become manager of Parma in Italy after earning public praise from Pep Guardiola.
However, his foray into management didn't go as expected, however, with Maresca out of work by November. He would return to City in the summer of 2022 as a member of Guardiola's coaching staff, saying: “I gained a lot from my season here coaching the EDS and saw just how talented the players and staff are at this Club.
“I am very proud that Pep has asked me to return, this time as part of the first team backroom staff, and I can’t wait to help him and the players in the seasons to come.”
At the time, Director of Football Txiki Begiristain said: “We were sorry to see him leave last year [2021] after a successful season in charge of the EDS and did not want to pass up the opportunity to bring him back to the Club."
Along with former under-18 head coach Carlos Vicens, Maresca helped integrate the youngsters who had been promoted into the first-team squad, as well as working with the senior players on their route to another Premier League title, plus the FA Cup and Champions League.
Maresca is now strongly linked with Leicester, with reports on Thursday suggesting that he has impressed in interview and is close to being appointed. City would not stand in his way should he choose to leave, just like in 2021.
His departure would leave a hole in Guardiola's coaching staff, although the Blues have replaced Maresca and other key staff members before.
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