Enzo Maresca Takes Charge of Manchester City for 2026/27 Season

Enzo Maresca will take charge of Manchester City from the 2026/27 season, stepping into one of the most demanding jobs in modern football as Pep Guardiola prepares to walk away after a decade of dominance and 20 trophies.

Guardiola’s exit has triggered a seismic reshaping of the Etihad dugout. It will not just be the Catalan leaving the touchline. Pep Lijnders, his assistant for a whirlwind single season, is also set to depart at the end of the current campaign.

A brief, intense Etihad chapter for Lijnders

Lijnders arrived in June 2025, fresh from an acclaimed spell alongside Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool. City saw him as a key figure in the transition years, a high‑energy coach with elite pedigree and a modern training-ground edge.

He delivered that energy, but his stay will be short.

With Guardiola confirming his decision to end his 10-year reign, City’s hierarchy moved quickly to design the next era. Their blueprint had Lijnders right at its heart. According to The Athletic’s James Pearce, the club wanted the Dutchman to remain and help bridge the gap between Guardiola’s City and what comes next under Maresca.

The plan was clear: Guardiola out, Maresca in, Lijnders retained as a pillar of continuity.

City offered him a new long-term contract and a place on Maresca’s staff. A powerful vote of confidence. A chance to be part of the next great project at the Etihad.

He said no.

Choosing his own path

At 43, Lijnders has decided he does not want to be an assistant under a new regime. Not again. Not after Liverpool, not after City. He wants his own path, his own technical area, his own project.

So he will leave alongside Guardiola, the pair exiting together this summer despite City’s desire to keep him.

The timing is symbolic. On Sunday, after the final Premier League game of the season at home to Aston Villa, Lijnders will say his goodbyes to players and staff. One last walk through the corridors. One last session on the grass. Then he will step away to pursue a new challenge elsewhere.

City, meanwhile, will turn fully to Maresca, the man tasked with following a legend without the internal continuity figure they had hoped to retain.

Guardiola’s era ends. Maresca’s is about to begin. Lijnders has chosen not to stand in the middle, but to step out and see what he can build on his own.