Stefan Borson drops verdict on Man City’s ‘preferred candidate’ to replace Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola is facing questions about his Manchester City future after rumours have been circulating around a potential exit.
Man City beat West Ham 3-0 on Saturday (20 December) to remain within two points of leaders Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.
However, there have been suggestions Guardiola could leave Man City at the end of this season, which is his 10th in charge at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola is expected to have a say in his replacement when he eventually decides to bring his reign in Manchester to an end.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein reported on 18 December there is a growing anticipation this could be Guardiola’s final season at Man City, with Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca high on the list of candidates to replace him.
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Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider there is logic to the Maresca links after he previously worked under Guardiola at the Etihad.
Speculation has emerged around Maresca’s future at Chelsea after he recently claimed he wasn’t being supported by the club.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the Italian boss potentially joining Man City, Borson said: “I guess if you were to look at his body of work, it’s an impressive body of work. Then when you add on the City link, you can see there’s some logic there.
“Then of course, there are other managers who have that City link that you would think would also be in the running.
“I do think there’s also a possibility of an outside option as well that we might not know about.”
Maresca joined Chelsea from Leicester City in the summer of 2024, while his contract at Stamford Bridge runs until 2029.
Man City could face Enzo Maresca issue
Borson insisted it would not be a straightforward deal for Man City to finalise if Maresca is their “preferred candidate” to replace Guardiola.
“I think it feels a bit early to know about a manager,” said Borson.
“If it was Maresca as the preferred candidate, it’s not exactly a straightforward deal to do, but that would also apply with Vincent Kompany or most of the other managers.
“I’m not sure that there’s a manager who would be suitable who is out of work.”
It is believed Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany is also “high on the list” to replace Guardiola, having previously spent 11 years at the Etihad as a player.
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