21 Jun 2026 07:01 BST |
4 min read
Chelsea have left Manchester City “annoyed and frustrated” with their obstinacy in talks over a compensation package for Enzo Maresca.
It has now been almost exactly a month to the day since the legendary Pep Guardiola officially announced his departure from Man City. It had been an open secret for some time, but the announcement still sent shockwaves through the world of football.
Guardiola dominated the Premier League during his decade in charge of the Cityzens, leaving behind massive shoes to fill. The tasked with succeeding is – or, rather, should be – his former assistant Maresca.
However, Man City are still waiting to receive the green light to be able to formally announce the Italian’s appointment. The reason for this is simple: Maresca is still technically under contract at Chelsea.
The 46-year-old walked away from his job on 1 January after behind-the-scenes disagreements with the Chelsea hierarchy and a downturn in results. Because he quit, his deal was never actually terminated.
Compensation battle continues
This means that in order to appoint Maresca, Man City need to buy him out of his Chelsea contract. They therefore need to agree a compensation package with their Premier League rivals, and this has proved incredibly challenging.
Despite reports suggesting for weeks that the Cityzens are confident of a positive outcome, progress has seemingly been minimal. The two clubs’ respective lawyers remain locked in discussions. Chelsea are playing hardball, which is somewhat understandable.
They were unhappy that Man City already held discussions with Maresca while he was still in charge of their team and felt that it was a distraction for the coach. It didn’t help that these talks became public knowledge at a time when results were turning sour.
Because of this and the fact that City are direct rivals, Chelsea argue that they are under no obligation to offer the Manchester outfit a discount on a highly regarded tactician. If City want him, they need to pay fair market value.
According to TEAMtalk, this has left City “annoyed and frustrated” as they felt that it would be much more straightforward to strike a deal with Chelsea. They really have nothing to gain from this stubbornness besides, obviously, money.
Nevertheless, the expectation remains that common ground will eventually be found. A breakthrough is expected before the end of the month. With Man City’s pre-season set to begin in around three weeks, the club can’t afford to let this drag on for much longer.
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