Enzo Maresca's return to Manchester City as head coach opens a new chapter after Pep Guardiola's glorious era. However, before thinking about building a playing style or conquering titles, the Italian strategist must solve an important task: keeping Rodri.
On his debut day, Maresca received a "welcome home" from President Khaldoon Al Mubarak. After working twice at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola's former assistant is expected to continue the success of his predecessor, who has brought home 20 titles in a decade.
However, Maresca's biggest challenge is not on the coaching bench but in persuading Rodri to continue to stick with Man City. The Spanish midfielder is the top target of Real Madrid, while he himself has repeatedly expressed his desire to play at home in the future.
Rodri has just had a successful year when he and the Spanish national team won the World Cup and continued to affirm his position as one of the best midfielders in the world. Before that, he also made a great contribution to helping La Roja win EURO 2024 and once won the Golden Ball after impressive performances in Man City colors.
Rodri's importance has been clearly proven over the years. He is an irreplaceable factor in the squad that won the historic treble in the 2022-2023 season, and also scored the decisive goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan. Man City also went through a 74-match unbeaten streak when Rodri appeared from February 2023 to May 2024.
Pep Guardiola has repeatedly affirmed that Rodri is an "irremplaceable" player and the best midfielder in the world. Reality also shows that whenever the 30-year-old star is absent due to injury, Man City's strength decreases significantly. In the past two seasons, Rodri's fitness problems have prevented the Etihad club from maintaining dominance in the Premier League.
At the 2026 World Cup, Rodri continued to prove his class when he completely controlled the midfield in the victory over France in the semi-finals. The ability to regulate the tempo, recover the ball and organize the playing style helps him become a rare midfielder model of modern football.
Therefore, despite spending more than 100 million pounds to recruit Elliot Anderson and pursuing young talent Ayyoub Bouaddi, Man City has not yet found a plan strong enough to replace Rodri. Names like Tijjani Reijnders, Mateo Kovacic or Nico Gonzalez all possess their own qualities but have not reached the level of influence of the Spanish international.
Therefore, keeping Rodri is considered Maresca's most important task in the 2026 summer transfer window. If this midfielder continues to stay at Etihad, Man City will maintain the top candidate for all titles. Conversely, his departure may make the transition process after Guardiola become much more difficult.
Although The Citizens are still trying to extend the contract with Rodri, Real Madrid is expected to soon send an official offer. With the transfer window still many weeks ahead, the future of the Spanish midfielder will be a decisive factor in the success or failure of Enzo Maresca in his first season leading the Etihad club.
