Guardiola's assistant becomes Leicester's manager.

Enzo Maresca, Pep Guardiola's assistant at Man City in the 2022-2023 season, has been appointed as Leicester's manager on a contract until 2026.

"Initially, my goal was to help Leicester play in the best way possible," Maresca said on Leicester's official website after signing the contract. "From there, we can build our ideas and philosophy day by day, the most important thing being to aim for victory. That's our job, our mission. Then, as I said, day by day, step by step, we will definitely improve."

Maresca made his debut for Leicester on June 16th. Photo: LCFC — Maresca made his debut for Leicester on June 16th. Photo: *LCFC*

Chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said he had been keeping an eye on Maresca for a long time and believed the Italian coach would bring a combination of personality, methods, and ambition that would be well-suited to Leicester's direction. The Thai businessman welcomed Maresca and expressed confidence that they could work together to reshape Leicester's trajectory towards future success.

In April 2023, Dean Smith was appointed to replace Brendan Rodgers on a contract until the end of the season with the goal of helping the club avoid relegation. Craig Shakespeare and English football legend John Terry were also appointed to the coaching staff. At that time, Leicester were second to last in the Premier League with eight games remaining. However, Smith only managed to help Leicester earn nine points and were relegated to the Championship the following season. Therefore, the Leicester board decided not to renew his contract.

Following their relegation, Leicester parted ways with seven players on free transfers: Youri Tielemans, Caglar Soyuncu, Daniel Amartey, Nampalys Mendy, Ryan Bertrand, Ayoze Perez, and Tete. Additionally, star player James Maddison is attracting interest from Newcastle and Tottenham, Harvey Barnes is in talks with Aston Villa and West Ham, while Jamie Vardy's future remains uncertain.

Maresca's immediate task will be to build a new team for Leicester with the ambition of returning to the Premier League from the 2024-2025 season.

Maresca previously played for West Brom, Juventus, Fiorentina, and others. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Ascoli, Sevilla, and West Ham. In August 2020, he was chosen by Manchester City to manage their youth team and immediately led the club to two Premier League titles.

Maresca (right) stands alongside Guardiola at Man City training ground. Photo: Man City FC — Maresca (right) stands alongside Guardiola at Man City training ground. Photo: *Man City FC*

In May 2021, Maresca tried his hand at coaching a professional club for the first time, leading Parma in Serie B. Despite having a highly-rated squad with Italian legend Gianluigi Buffon and midfielder Franco Vazquez, Maresca failed to lead Parma to promotion and was sacked on November 23, 2021.

In June 2022, Maresca returned to Man City as an assistant to Pep Guardiola, replacing Juanma Lillo, who had taken on the role of manager for Qatari club Al Sadd. The Etihad Stadium side enjoyed a historic season, winning the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League.

Maresca is the second of Guardiola's assistants to leave Man City to take on another club in England, after Mikel Arteta. The Spanish coach served as Guardiola's "deputy" from 2016-2019, then returned to Arsenal in a new role, winning a Community Shield and an FA Cup. In the 2022-2023 season, Arteta and Arsenal became Guardiola's biggest rival, holding the top spot for most of the season but faltering in the final stages and losing the championship to Man City.

Hong Duy

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