Maresca Begins Manchester City Rebuild After Rodri's £65m Barcelona Move

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca says the club must identify a new holding midfielder after Rodri completed a £65 million move to Barcelona. The Guardian reported that Maresca is treating the departure as part of the normal cycle of replacing elite players rather than an obstacle that should derail his first season in charge.

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Rodri leaves after establishing himself as one of the leading players in his position during his time at City. Maresca pointed to the club's previous succession decisions, including Kevin De Bruyne following David Silva, Erling Haaland succeeding Sergio Aguero as the leading striker and Rodri taking over from Fernandinho. His message was that City's recruitment now has to produce another effective replacement.

According to The Guardian, Rodri had made clear that he wanted to leave. Maresca said he shared former manager Pep Guardiola's position that an unhappy player should not be prevented from going, because dissatisfaction could affect performance. The confirmed transfer creates an immediate squad-building priority for a manager already overseeing a major change in the dugout.

City enter the league campaign after a 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in the Community Shield in Cardiff. Maresca acknowledged the disappointment that followed that result but said the squad had moved on to preparations for Sunday's Premier League opener at home to Bournemouth. He described the players' attitude in training since his arrival as very good.

The transition from Guardiola to Maresca is another part of the adjustment. Maresca said players accustomed to working with the same coach must adapt when methods and expectations change, and he accepted that the process requires some time. At the same time, he stressed that City need to become competitive quickly rather than use the managerial handover as an excuse.

Maresca also gave an outline of the squad size he wants. He said a senior group of roughly 20 players, supplemented by three young players who impressed during preseason, would leave City with about 21 or 22 options. He named Kaden Braithwaite, Floyd Samba and Ryan McAidoo among the academy players expected to remain with the first-team group as the club begins its post-Rodri campaign.