Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has reportedly been lined up to replace Pep Guardiola at Man City, should the legendary Spaniard decide to leave the club after ten trophy laden years at the end of the season.
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, there is a feeling inside of Man City that Guardiola will indeed call it quits in the summer and are writing up a contingency plan for that eventuality.
A manager of a ‘big six’ Premier League club has never left one to join another, but if Maresca does push for that move, here are five managers Chelsea should consider.
Julian Nagelsmann
The Germany manager was high on Chelsea’s shortlist back in 2023 before he reportedly turned them down and the club decided to hire Mauricio Pochettino instead. With opportunities at top clubs set to be more limited this time around, Nagelsmann may be more inclined.
Despite his age of just 38, the former Bayern Munich boss has proven he can do it on the biggest stages, but Chelsea would have to wait until after the World Cup, which would seriously hamper what would be a crucial pre-season.
Still, the German is clearly a top-level manager and is destined to take a top-level job once his time with the national team comes to an end. A young manager for a young squad could be a recipe for success.
Andoni Iraola
One of the most interesting managers currently in the Premier League, Iraola led Bournemouth to their joint highest ever finish last season (9th) and is continuing that fine form at the season of 2025-26.
That form has dropped in recent weeks, with Bournemouth now winless in their last seven Premier League games, but that shouldn’t be held against Iraola. Unfortunately for a club of this stature, it was ultimately unsustainable.
Iraola is expected to be a big story at the end of the season, with his contract at Bournemouth set to expire, and other clubs, most notably Tottenham, circling. We all know Chelsea fans would love it if their club beat Spurs to him.
Roberto de Zerbi
Another Italian, De Zerbi has been linked with the Chelsea job since Todd Boehly and co took over, largely due to his links with the members of the club’s hierarchy, who worked with the now Marseille manager at Brighton.
The 46-year-old isn’t the archetypal Italian manager, he has a major emphasis on attacking football, pushing his defenders high up, using organised pressing, quick transitions and flexible positional play to get the better of opponents.
If Chelsea want to continue playing attacking football, which we’re sure they will, De Zerbi would be a fine option, he may be hard to lure away from the south of France, though.
Liam Rosenior
Since the Maresca to Man City links came about, several reports have suggested that Strasbourg manager Rosenior is seen by many at Chelsea as a future manager, especially considering he’s already working under a similar structure at the fellow BlueCo club.
Like Chelsea, Strasbourg have a remarkably young squad, and Rosenior has proven more than capable of nurturing these young talents, guiding them to the Europa Conference League last season, and finishing top of the league phase in 2025-26.
Tactically, it wouldn’t be too much of a shift either. Strasbourg tend to dominate games more often than not, and Rosenior is a flexible manager, although he has persisted with back-three formations during his time in France. An ability to work with the ownership is seemingly crucial, Rosenior has already done that.
Cesc Fabregas
Even when watching Fabregas as a player, it was clear he would become a manager, few would have expected him to do so well so quickly at Como, though. The former Chelsea (and Arsenal) midfielder is now widely regarded as the next great coach.
Fabregas has spoken several times about how his time playing under Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte at Chelsea has helped mold his managerial style, even saying: “Chelsea was one of the best decisions I took in my career because of the way I was treated there, how many trophies we won, 5 trophies in 4.5 years. The fans were outstanding with me. Outstanding. I couldn’t be more grateful. We had a great feeling connection straight away.”
Losing a manager to a Premier League rival would be devastating for Chelsea fans. One way to get them back on side would be to hire someone who is not only one of the best young coaches in the world, but also a man who has an established relationship with them.
If Chelsea don’t get Fabregas, another top club will, and that could prove devastating.