Chelsea: ‘Remarkable’ Maresca compensation laid bare as Man City find Guardiola replacement

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Manchester City are in advanced talks to hire Enzo Maresca as a replacement for Pep Guardiola.

The Italian has been out of work since resigning from his role in charge of Chelsea back in January, and the Guardian believe Manchester City have already agreed a three-year contract with the man born in Pontecagnano Faiano.

The Guardian add that Chelsea can claim ‘sizeable compensation’ considering Maresca – who Guardiola admires – still has three and a half years remaining on the contract he walked away from at Stamford Bridge.

Adam Williams – Head of Football Finance and Governance Content at GRV Media – has now told TBR Football what kind of figure Chelsea can expect to receive in compensation.

Exclusive: Chelsea could receive £10m if Enzo Maresca joins Manchester City

Williams – who has also discussed Arsenal’s prize money for winning the Premier League – said: “The language in the Guardian’s report makes it sound like Maresca’s contract is still legally active. That means he has either been receiving his wages as normal, or Chelsea have withheld them because he has unilaterally decided not to report for duty.

“Either way, he effectively has four years left to run on his deal with Chelsea, given that they have the option to trigger a further year. It’s a pretty remarkable situation, all things considered.

“When a manager is under contract and another club wants to poach him, you have three options, broadly speaking:

• A) Buy out the remainder of the contract
• B) Negotiate a settlement with the club
• C) Satisfy some form of release or break clause

“That last one can include a number of different conditions and terms. For example, a contract might stipulate that a manager can leave for a set amount – which will be lower than the remaining value of the contract – if a Champions League club wants to recruit him. Conversely, it can also be that the release fee is higher if it is a direct competitor that you’re dealing with.

“So, there are a lot of variables at play here. Without being inside the detail of the contract, it is impossible to say how much City will have to pay. However, if I had to put a number on it, I’d say £8m – £10m. That’s roughly the equivalent of two years’ salary based on the reports out there. I think that’s realistic – and it will probably be a settlement between the two clubs, as opposed to a buy-out. There’s a bit of margin for error, but I doubt it will be too far out.”