Maresca on Replacing Rodri at Manchester City: Finding the Next Star

Enzo Maresca insists Manchester City will not panic. Even after losing Rodri.

The Italian walked into his pre-match briefing on the eve of City’s Premier League opener against Bournemouth knowing the question was coming. How do you replace the heartbeat of a side that has just lost the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, the midfielder who anchored four Premier League titles, a Champions League and two FA Cups?

His answer was blunt.

"I'll try to find a new Rodri – it is what it is," he told reporters on Saturday.

Rodri’s move to Barcelona on Tuesday ended a seven-year spell that turned him from a highly rated midfielder into the game’s most decorated pivot. Since arriving in Manchester, he has stacked his CV with domestic dominance and European glory, then stepped onto the international stage to captain Spain to World Cup success last month, collecting the player of the tournament award on the way.

City now have a Rodri-sized hole in the middle of the pitch. Maresca doesn’t deny it. He leans into it.

"Rodri, before he arrived here, he didn't win the Ballon d'Or, he didn't win the Champions League, he didn't win the Club World Cup. Then he joined the club and then he achieved many important things. Now the target for us is to try to find the new Rodri."

This is the core of his argument: City don’t just buy stars, they build them.

Maresca pointed to the club’s track record when the conversation turned to anxiety about life after Rodri. This has all happened before.

"When David Silva was here, everyone was worried – Kevin (De Bruyne) arrived. When Sergio Aguero was here, everyone was worried – Erling (Haaland) arrived. When Fernandinho left, Rodri arrived. It's just about this," he said. "When they leave, you need to be good and recruit the next one."

The message is clear. City have survived the departures of icons and come back stronger. The expectation is they will do it again.

Rodri’s exit is only one part of a wider reshaping of the squad in this close season. The champions are in transition, but on their own terms. Maresca expects more movement before the transfer window shuts and is prepared for late drama, including around players such as Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez, who have been linked with moves away.

He will not beg anyone to stay.

"We need to adapt and we don't want to keep players here that don't want to stay," he said. "The normal thing in transfer windows is that you have to wait because all the clubs try to keep players until the last week and then sell for more money.

It's normal. I'm not worried about that. When the transfer window closes and we have all the squad there, for sure it will be different.

For now, City step into a new season without the man who defined their midfield. The search for the next one starts immediately – and Maresca sounds certain that somewhere out there, the next Rodri is waiting to be found.