Manchester City’s Search for a New Rodri: Maresca’s Challenge
Enzo Maresca did not try to dress it up. Manchester City need a “new Rodri” – and they need him fast.
With the Spain captain gone to Barcelona and the summer window ticking into its final stretch, the new City manager knows the spotlight is fixed firmly on the Etihad boardroom as much as the training pitch.
Maresca’s Rodri challenge
Rodri’s departure has ripped out the spine of a side built around his calm authority. Maresca, though, framed it as an opportunity rather than a crisis.
“Now the target for us is to try to find the new Rodri,” he said. “How do we solve the problem? Try to find the new Rodri.”
He reminded everyone that the midfielder City lost was not the one they first signed.
“Before he arrived, he didn't win the Ballon d'Or, he didn't win the Champions League, he didn't win the Club World Cup. He joined the club then he achieved many important things.”
The message was clear: City don’t just buy stars, they make them.
Keeping Guardiola’s line
Maresca might be new in the dugout, but he is not ripping up Pep Guardiola’s rulebook. One principle stands above most: if a player wants to go, let him.
Rodri wanted a new challenge in La Liga. City, again, did not stand in the way. The Italian made it plain that clinging to unsettled players has no place in the club’s culture.
That stance has shaped every big departure of the Guardiola era. Maresca is determined to continue that cycle, not fight it.
City’s habit of regeneration
To underline his faith in the club’s recruitment, Maresca reached straight for the biggest names.
“When Sergio [Aguero] was here, everyone was worried and Erling [Haaland] arrived,” he said. “Fernandinho? Rodri arrived. It is just about this.
“When they leave, you need to be good in recruiting the next one. They are all similar, David [Silva], Kevin [De Bruyne], Fernandinho, Rodri, Erling. It is normal, it is change, it is not a problem, go again and try to do the right things.”
This is the City story of the last decade: a legend goes, another cornerstone walks through the door. The expectation now is that the holding midfield role will be no different.
A leaner, sharper squad
Maresca’s concerns are not limited to replacing his departed anchor. He wants control over the entire shape of his group.
The Italian confirmed he is targeting a tight core of around 20 senior outfield players for the season ahead – a lean squad by elite standards, designed to keep competition fierce and pathways clear.
That plan is being tested by uncertainty. Several players are weighing exits, and that instability is bleeding into daily work at the training ground.
“It doesn’t help that there are players that for different reasons want to leave, that is for sure,” Maresca admitted. “But we need to adapt. There are 10 days to go, hopefully we can do the things that we need to do.”
Countdown to chaos
Ten days. One gaping hole in midfield. Multiple unsettled players. The ingredients are there for a frantic end to August at the Etihad.
Supporters sense it. City’s window has moved from measured to urgent, and the manager knows exactly how this market usually plays out.
“The normal thing in the transfer window is that you have to wait until the last week, because all the clubs try to keep players until the last week and then sell for more money,” he said.
So the waiting game continues. Calls, counter-offers, late bids. City have lived in this world long enough to trust their timing.
“At the end, we’ll have all the squad here for sure it will be different,” Maresca concluded.
Different is guaranteed. The real question is whether “different” still looks like a title-winning machine once the “new Rodri” walks through the door.
