After ten years of Pep Guardiola, Manchester City will have to reinvent itself. The 55-year-old Spanish coach has decided to give up his apron after winning 20 trophies in a decade. The Skyblues, however, will not undergo a huge change since the Catalan’s successor is already found and he is a veteran of the house. It is obviously Enzo Maresca.
An unexpected outstretched hand
Free from any contract since his departure from Chelsea last winter, the 46-year-old Italian knows the Mancunian club perfectly. He was on Guardiola’s staff between 2022 and 2023 and coached the U23s between 2020 and 2021. Earlier today, we told you that the former Blues coach has even already signed his three-year contract. This afternoon, the Mirror tells us that Maresca would also have made a first strong decision with a view to the next transfer window.
According to the English media, City’s new strongman is ready to give Jack Grealish another chance. At 30, the English international winger was loaned for a year to Everton (2 goals, 6 assists in 22 matches) and is due to return to the Etihad Stadium. Under contract until 2027, Grealish could therefore see an outstretched hand that he no longer hoped for among the Cityzens. The Birmingham native has seen his career take a downward trajectory for three years. Holder under Pep Guardiola until the end of the legendary 2022-2023 season (Premier League-Champions League double), Grealish ended up being dismissed by his former coach.
Grealish faces the demons of alcohol
The fault lies in his nocturnal vices and his slightly too pronounced taste for alcohol. “Of course Jack has to play…that’s the truth. Jack is an incredible player who has to play football every three days, which didn’t happen this season or last season. And he has to do it, with us or elsewhere… There’s nothing personal with Jack. I’m the person who fought for him to come here and the person who fought for him to stay here this season and the next season. I was the one who said I wanted Jack Grealish. Now he didn’t come because he didn’t come, but that’s nothing else.”Guardiola declared a year ago.
Since then, Grealish had been deprived of the brand new FIFA Club World Cup by the Catalan and was obviously not called up by Thomas Tuchel to play in the next 2026 World Cup. After having already missed Euro 2024, Jack Grealish could therefore have a new (and last?) chance to regain brilliance within a major European team. Unavailable since last January due to a foot injury, will the Englishman seize this chance? His most loyal supporters hope so, even if their favorite player once again stood out in the media by appearing totally drunk in Manchester last month or more recently leaving a strip club with his teammate Jordan Pickford.
