Maresca's Manchester City Pursuit of Malo Gusto
Enzo Maresca has not even been unveiled at the Etihad yet, but the outlines of his Manchester City already carry a distinctly Chelsea shade of blue.
The incoming City head coach, who has agreed to succeed Pep Guardiola after the club struck a compensation deal with Chelsea, is pushing hard for a reunion with Malo Gusto, according to reports. The French right-back, one of the few consistent bright spots in a turbulent Chelsea era, has emerged as a serious target as Maresca looks to stamp his authority on a squad built in Guardiola’s image.
Maresca looks to avoid the succession trap
History has not been kind to managers following giants. David Moyes walked into Sir Alex Ferguson’s office at Manchester United and never truly recovered. Unai Emery stepped into Arsene Wenger’s shoes at Arsenal and quickly discovered how heavy they were.
Maresca knows the script. Guardiola turned City into the dominant force in English football, collecting trophies at a rate that made the extraordinary feel routine. Even in his final campaign, when City fell seven points short of new champions Arsenal and surrendered their grip on the Premier League, they still finished with a domestic cup double.
The Italian cannot afford to simply preserve what he inherits. He has to reshape it.
That is why he is pushing for “his” players. Cole Palmer and Enzo Fernandez, two of his former Chelsea charges, have already been linked with moves to Manchester. Yet those paths are blocked for now: Chelsea consider Palmer untouchable, while Real Madrid are leading the chase for the unsettled Fernandez.
So Maresca has turned to a different Chelsea avenue. Malo Gusto.
Gusto on City’s radar as Chelsea pivot to Palestra
City’s original plan at right-back lay in Milan. They had tracked Inter defender Marco Palestra, only to see Chelsea agree a £51m deal and move ahead in that race. With Palestra bound for west London, City have been forced to redraw their defensive shortlist.
Gusto sits near the top of it. Chelsea, preparing for Palestra’s arrival, are understood to want at least £40m to even consider selling the Frenchman. That figure reflects his status at Stamford Bridge as much as the current market.
Signed from Lyon for £31m in 2023, Gusto has grown into a mainstay over the past three seasons, racking up 134 appearances. At 23, he has already logged the kind of minutes and responsibility that usually belong to older full-backs. Quick, aggressive and comfortable high up the pitch, he fits the profile of a modern City defender who must defend one-on-one and still offer width and incision in possession.
His trajectory has carried him all the way to the World Cup, where he is part of a heavily fancied France squad. He came off the bench in their 3-0 win over Iraq on Monday, another small step in a career that has accelerated rapidly.
Now, Maresca wants that acceleration to continue in Manchester.
City’s summer plan: a new right-back and a marquee midfielder
Right-back is not the only area on City’s agenda. The club’s priority this summer remains a new midfielder, with England World Cup star Elliot Anderson identified as the headline target.
City have already seen one huge offer turned back. Nottingham Forest rejected a second bid worth £120m, and City are weighing up a third attempt to prise Anderson away. It is a pursuit that underlines both the scale of their ambition and the scale of the rebuild Maresca is willing to oversee.
Guardiola’s departure has not prompted a retreat. It has triggered a reset.
Maresca, who left Chelsea in January less than six months after lifting the Club World Cup in his first season there, arrives at the Etihad with a clear idea of the kind of team he wants. Technical, brave, front-foot football, but with fresh faces to carry it out.
Gusto could be one of the first visible signs of that change. If City meet Chelsea’s price and the Frenchman swaps Stamford Bridge for the Etihad, it will not just be a transfer. It will be a statement that the Guardiola era is over, and Maresca’s version of Manchester City will be built in his own, unmistakable style.
