Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has challenged his recruitment team to identify the club’s next midfield superstar following Rodri’s departure to Barcelona.
Maresca Vows to Find ‘New Rodri’ as City Rebuild Begins
The Spanish international, who won the World Cup and Ballon d’Or during his trophy-laden seven-year spell at the Etihad, completed his move to the Catalan giants this week, leaving a gaping hole in Maresca’s squad.
But the Italian insists the situation presents an opportunity rather than a crisis.
“I’ll try to find a new Rodri – it is what it is,” Maresca declared.
“Rodri, before he arrived here, didn’t win the Ballon d’Or, didn’t win the Champions League, didn’t win the Club World Cup.
Then he joined and achieved many important things. Now the target for us is to try to find the new Rodri.”
The former Chelsea boss drew on City’s proud history of seamless transitions, pointing to how the club has consistently replaced legendary figures with world-class talent.
“When David Silva was here, everyone was worried – Kevin [De Bruyne] arrived,” Maresca explained.
“When Sergio Agüero was here, everyone was worried – Erling [Haaland] arrived. When Fernandinho left, Rodri arrived. It’s just about this.”
Rodri’s exit forms part of a significant squad overhaul, with Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Aké and Tijjani Reijnders also departing.
Savinho has joined Tottenham, while Omar Marmoush and Nico González could follow.
Elliot Anderson remains City’s only major summer signing, but Maresca expects further arrivals before the transfer window closes.
“Hopefully we can do the things we need to do,” he said ahead of Sunday’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth.
“It doesn’t help that players want to leave for different reasons. But we need to adapt and we don’t want to keep players here that don’t want to stay.”
The 45-year-old remains unfazed by the slow pace of recruitment, adding: “The normal thing is that clubs try to keep players until the last week and then sell for more money.
I’m not worried about that. When the window closes and we have all the squad there, it will be different.”
