Enzo Maresca is the new manager of Manchester City and he has now apologised for the way he left Chelsea back in January
New Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has apologised for the disruption he caused at Chelsea after quitting Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Day.
The Italian and the Blues parted ways on January 1 after a public falling out- and he had already held talks with City over replacing Pep Guardiola this summer. That move has now been confirmed, with Chelsea agreeing an eye-watering compensation package with their Premier League rivals.
football.london understands that City have paid £17million to Chelsea in order to secure his services. Maresca had more than three years remaining on his contract when he left Stamford Bridge in January after a poor run of form and a breakdown in his relationship with the club’s ownership.
Maresca said in a statement: “At the end of December 2025, I made the difficult decision to leave Chelsea.
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“The decision was only mine. My resignation from Chelsea opened a path for me to join Manchester City, which is a club I knew very well. I am ecstatic that I have now joined Manchester City.
“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.
“I was treated well by everyone at Chelsea and together we achieved great success and memories that I will always treasure. I am grateful to the club, the owners and the fans for giving me the opportunity.”
Following his exit at Chelsea, he was immediately installed as favourite to succeed Guardiola when the Spaniard announced he was to leave in the final week of the 2025-26 campaign. Indeed, there had already been speculation linking Maresca with a possible return to City, where he was previously assistant manager, for several months.
However, details over the remainder of his contract needed to be resolved. Maresca served as Guardiola’s number two during City’s treble-winning 2022-23 season.
To coincide with City’s official announcement, Chelsea released a bombshell statement and shared details of Maresca’s exit earlier this year.
It read: “Chelsea FC appreciates the 2025/26 season was a hugely disappointing one for the Club and its supporters. A major contributing factor was the disruption caused as a result of changes that the Club was forced to make to the Head Coach position over the Christmas period. Due to recent developments, we consider that it is important to explain to our supporters what happened and why our former Head Coach left the Club on 1 January 2026.
“In Autumn last year, the Club was informed by our former Head Coach that there might be an opportunity for him to succeed Pep Guardiola at the end of the season. It became clear to us that it was his strong desire to succeed Guardiola and that he was fully committed to pursuing the opportunity, despite the fact he was under a long-term contract which he had no right to terminate.
“In December 2025, our Head Coach unexpectedly and abruptly resigned from his position. Obviously, we felt let down as we believed that his head and heart were focused on another club and another opportunity, despite having just arrived at Chelsea the year before.
“No club wants to change its head coach midway through a season. However, in light of his decision not to continue fulfilling his responsibilities through to the end of the season, the Club was left with no choice but to protect our players, our supporters, and the Badge and accept his resignation.
“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.
“Looking forward to next season, in Xabi Alonso, we have a Manager who has an exceptional football mind and is a professional of the highest integrity. He has all the attributes to deliver the success the Club’s supporters deserve and expect.”
