Enzo Maresca Faces Transfer Challenges Ahead of Community Shield

Enzo Maresca is braced for a frantic finish to the transfer window, but one deal is already off Chelsea’s timetable: Manchester City will not meet the 5pm Friday deadline to sign Enzo Fernández.

The new City head coach steps into the spotlight on Sunday in Cardiff, taking charge of his first major match – the Community Shield against Arsenal – with a squad that still feels unfinished. Pieces are moving, just not at Chelsea’s speed.

City are close to landing 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, a move aimed at the future. Fernández, though, is the headline name. Maresca knows him well from their time together at Stamford Bridge and the Argentine is firmly on City’s radar. But Chelsea’s £120m valuation, tied to a strict cut-off point, has drawn a line in the sand.

“Not today to be honest, I don’t think we’re going to do something today,” Maresca said when asked about business before the deadline. He did not sound like a man ready to blink first.

He made it clear his mind is on Arsenal, not on last-minute negotiations.

“For sure there are things we need to do, how many I don’t know, can be one can be two depends also if players want to leave so we can see. It’s 48 hours for the final, my first final in this club, I would like to win my first trophy, so my focus isn’t on players that can leave or players that can arrive, my focus is on the game.”

Around him, though, the market is swirling.

City have already turned down two bids from Barcelona for Rodri and are preparing for a third. The Spain midfielder, who has a year left on his contract, reported back to the training ground on Friday after his post-World Cup break. His future hangs over the early days of the Maresca era, but the coach refused to be drawn into any public battle.

“The transfer window is open, we can buy players, we can sell players, anything can happen,” he said. “I just saw Rodri now in the building, I gave him a big hug, he looks good, so we’ll see what happens.”

While City fight to keep one midfield anchor, another is on his way out. Tijjani Reijnders is set to join Al-Qadsiah in the Saudi Pro League after the clubs agreed a £51m fee. The Dutchman only arrived from Milan last summer but has pushed for more regular minutes and has not found them in a squad stacked with options.

Maresca framed it as the reality of elite competition.

“They all work every day, they all do sessions every day and at the end of the week they all want to play a game,” he said. “When they don’t play, they struggle to understand or they struggle to see the reason why and I can understand that after one season some of them would like to play a little bit more. It’s a normal situation.”

The churn is already visible. James Trafford has gone to Leeds. Omar Marmoush, Rico Lewis and Savinho, all on the fringes for much of Pep Guardiola’s final campaign, could follow if suitable offers arrive.

So Maresca walks into his first final with a squad in motion: one eye on Cardiff, the other on a window that refuses to sit still. City want to lift a trophy on Sunday. They also want clarity on Rodri, resolution on Reijnders, and the right additions before the deadline slams shut.

Fernández may not arrive on Chelsea’s terms. The real question is whose terms will define Maresca’s first season in Manchester.