There are rumors that this could be Pep Guardiola's final season at Manchester City. If they win the Premier League, then Guardiola will be able to go out on a high.
He has been the boss at City for 10-years now, which is longer than he was at Barcelona and Bayern Munich combined. It would certainly be the end of an era in which the club has had continued success and finally lifted the Champions League.
Replacing such a legendary manager is difficult; Manchester United found that when Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and so too did Arsenal initially after Arsene Wenger. City must carefully consider any potential replacements for Guardiola.
Every potential Pep Guardiola replacement at Man City ranked from worst to best
4. Andoni Iraola
Andoni Iraola has done a very good job with AFC Bournemouth. They are currently seventh in the Premier League with a chance of qualifying for Europe for the first time in the club's history. Despite this, Iraola has already announced that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season.
There is a recent history of managers doing well at mid-table Premier League clubs, but joining a top club has proven to be too big a jump for them. Graham Potter did an excellent job with Brighton & Hove Albion, but struggled at Chelsea. The same goes for Thomas Frank, who had a disastrous stint at Tottenham Hotspur after being highly regarded for the work he did at Brentford.
City appears to be too big a club to appoint Iraola right now. They will likely be able to pick a much more established coach who has a track record of winning trophies.
3. Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas played under Guardiola at Barcelona and is now an up-and-coming manager at Como. He currently has them fifth in Serie A, and with an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League. This would be a great achievement for the side that was playing in Italy's second division two years ago.
However, the City job would appear to be too soon for Fabregas. Chelsea recently took a gamble on Liam Rosenior, which backfired. A club such as City would not likely make the same mistake as Chelsea by appointing a coach with potential. Fabregas has been linked with his former clubs, Chelsea and Arsenal, which may be a better next step in his coaching career.
2. Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso was a highly respected coach after his work with Bayer Leverkusen. In the 2023/24 season, he won the Bundesliga and the DFB-Pokal and reached the Europa League final. However, he lasted just seven months as the boss of Real Madrid.
Alonso appeared to struggle at a club that has many big egos, such as Vinicius Junior. Therefore, it would be a gamble for City to appoint him as their boss. Perhaps a return to his former club, Liverpool, would be better for Alonso if they decide to part ways with Arne Slot.
1. Enzo Maresca
Enzo Maresca is very much the standout replacement for Guardiola. He was Guardiola's assistant at City and has gone on to have great success at Leicester City and Chelsea. Maresca won the Championship with Leicester City and then the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup with Chelsea.
Rosenior's recent disastrous stint at Stamford Bridge proved how good a job Maresca did at Chelsea. He guided a team to win trophies and qualify for the Champions League, under an ownership that seems obsessed with signing young players with potential, rather than the established stars the club is used to recruiting.
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