Maresca threatens Chelsea revenge with Man City signing hint

Robin Bairner

Updated: 27 Mar 2026 08:40 GMT
4 min read

Enzo Maresca has dropped a major hint that he will return to Chelsea to try to sign one of their most popular players should he replace Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager.

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Maresca departed Chelsea in January amid fiery circumstances after it emerged that he had talked with City over one day replacing Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.

The 46-year-old remains out of work, and the belief remains that if the Catalan steps down in Manchester at the conclusion of the season, he will be the man to take over.

Chelsea will fear a revenge mission from Maresca, who has suggested that he would look to his former club to sign a player he ‘adores’.

Maresca makes Marc Cucurella confession

Speaking to Mundo Maldini on YouTube, Maresca sang the praises of Marc Cucurella.

Current ETV

Marc Cucurella

D (L)

Chelsea

Marc Cucurella

D (L)

Chelsea

ETV Range

€37.9M - €46.4M

“I adore him, adore him,” he said. “I think he’s every coach’s dream, he’s a spectacular guy, humble, he works every day, he’s a winner, he wants to win. With me, he has also brought out his goal scoring side, he scored seven or eight goals he never scored in his life."

This final sentence is particularly pertinent for Chelsea; it suggests that Cucurella also enjoyed working with Maresca and could, therefore, be open to a move to follow his former manager.

The prospect of City signing the Spanish left-back, who is a favourite of the fans, is a complicated one, but with BlueCo showing that they are open to selling players for the right price, there is the prospect of the 27-year-old being offloaded if the right offer was to come in.

Cucurella has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €42.2 million, yet after Chelsea signed him for €65m from Brighton in 2022, it would likely take a more substantial bid to take him to Manchester.

Enzo Maresca to Man City? I’m ready to go again, ex-Chelsea boss admits

Maresca, meanwhile, indicated that he will be back in a job next season.

Asked how he is coping with life without work, he replied: “It’s good trying to disconnect a bit and recharge my batteries to get ready to go again next year.”

But will this be at Manchester City? Maresca would not be drawn on the situation.

“We’ll see what comes up before next season,” he said.

While the Italian refused to confirm his desire to replace Pep at the Etihad Stadium, it's clear that he's eager to get back involved in the game.

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