Pep Guardiola appears to be on the verge of leaving Manchester City after ten years, and the first name chosen to replace him would be that of Enzo Maresca, who had abruptly left Chelsea in January. According to reports in the English press, although the terms of the separation have never been publicly clarified by either side, the accusation that Maresca had informed Chelsea’s ownership that he was in talks with Manchester City has never been denied. It was precisely this behaviour, again according to newspaper reconstructions, that had pushed the Blues to end their relationship with the former Leicester and Parma coach.
That is why Chelsea could now seek financial compensation from Manchester City, with the additional threat of making public the details of the separation between Maresca and the Stamford Bridge club, as well as the events that took place in the preceding months. Neither club has decided to comment on the situation, but – as the Telegraph pointed out – Chelsea can only take legal action after filing an official complaint with the Premier League. Which, at that point, would be obliged to launch an investigation under its own regulations.
Maresca’s announcement, however, could take time, given the technical timing of Guardiola’s departure. The Italian coach has not spoken publicly since leaving Chelsea, which happened when the team were fifth in the table, sure, but had won only one of their previous seven Premier League matches. In addition, the media were reporting tensions that had become unsustainable between Maresca himself and the club: after the victory over Everton on 13 December, Maresca said he had experienced «the worst 48 hours» of his career, a phrase interpreted as a direct attack on the BlueCo ownership; after the draw against Bournemouth on 30 December, Maresca decided not to appear before journalists’ microphones. Three days later, the dismissal would come: although Chelsea have not officially confirmed it, it is believed that there was no significant financial compensation for the Italian coach. But the point of the possible legal battle is not exactly this; rather, it is the negotiations that took place between Maresca and City while Maresca was still on the Stamford Bridge bench. Something that, in London, seems not to have gone down well.