Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has stated that the club must find a 'new Rodri' following the departure of the influential midfielder to Barcelona. Rodri, a World Cup winner and Ballon d'Or recipient, spent seven years at the Etihad Stadium, during which he helped City win four Premier League titles and the Champions League.
Maresca, who inherited the squad from Pep Guardiola, is confident that the void left by Rodri can be filled. 'I'll try to find a new Rodri - it is what it is,' said Maresca. '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 after he achieved many important things.'
The Italian manager drew parallels to past transitions, noting that when David Silva left, Kevin De Bruyne arrived, and when Sergio Aguero departed, Erling Haaland joined the club. 'When they leave, you need to be good and recruit the next one,' Maresca explained.
Rodri's exit is part of a larger trend of notable departures from City during the close season, including Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Ake, and Tijjani Reijnders. Additionally, Savinho is set to join Tottenham, potentially along with Omar Marmoush, and Nico Gonzalez could also leave before the transfer window closes.
City's only major signing so far has been midfielder Elliot Anderson. However, Maresca expects further additions before the deadline. 'Hopefully we can do the things that we need to do,' Maresca said ahead of Sunday's Premier League opener against Bournemouth. 'It doesn't help that there are players that for different reasons want to leave, this is for sure. But we need to adapt and we don't want to keep players here that don't want to stay.'
Maresca remains unconcerned by the scale of the squad overhaul. '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.'





































