Manchester City’s Search for the New Rodri

Enzo Maresca knows exactly what hangs over Manchester City’s final days of the window. They don’t just need a midfielder. They need “the new Rodri.”

The Spain captain’s move to Barcelona last week ripped out the heart of City’s midfield and jolted the Etihad hierarchy into action. With the deadline closing in, the new manager isn’t pretending the task is anything but huge – but he’s refusing to treat it as impossible.

“Now the target for us is to try to find the new Rodri,” Maresca said. “How do we solve the problem? Try to find the new Rodri. Before he arrived, he didn't win the Ballon d'Or, he didn't win the Champions League, he didn't win the Club World Cup. He joined the club then he achieved many important things.”

That line matters. For Maresca, City don’t buy finished monuments. They build them.

Guardiola’s rule still stands

One thing hasn’t changed from the Pep Guardiola era: if a player wants out, the door isn’t bolted. Rodri made it clear he wanted a new challenge in La Liga, and Maresca didn’t try to dress that up. Keeping a restless star, he suggested, simply isn’t City.

The Italian framed it as part of a long-running cycle at the Etihad, not a crisis. Legends leave. The club replaces them. The machine rolls on.

“When Sergio [Aguero] was here, everyone was worried and Erling [Haaland] arrived,” he pointed out. “Fernandinho? Rodri arrived. It is just about this.

“When they leave, you need to be good in recruiting the next one. They are all similar, David [Silva], Kevin [De Bruyne], Fernandinho, Rodri, Erling. It is normal, it is change, it is not a problem, go again and try to do the right things.”

The message: City have done this before. They expect to do it again.

A lean squad, big decisions

This isn’t just about replacing a holding midfielder. Maresca wants to reshape the entire group. He has been clear about preferring a tight core of around 20 senior outfield players to carry the load across a long season.

That plan, though, is being tested by uncertainty. Several players are pushing to leave. Others are weighing options. Every unresolved situation complicates training, selection, planning.

“It doesn’t help that there are players that for different reasons want to leave, that is for sure,” he admitted. “But we need to adapt. There are 10 days to go, hopefully we can do the things that we need to do.”

So the work continues in two directions at once: find a successor to Rodri and trim the squad to something sharper, cleaner, more manageable.

The late-window storm

Around the club, there’s an acceptance of what’s coming. The phones will keep ringing. Offers will land late. Agents will push. Supporters are braced for a frantic finish to the month.

Maresca, seasoned enough in the modern market, isn’t expecting clarity until the final stretch.

“The normal thing in the transfer window is that you have to wait until the last week, because all the clubs try to keep players until the last week and then sell for more money,” he said.

That’s the game. City have played it well for years. Now they need to win another round, without the luxury of time and without the comfort blanket of the man who anchored their era.

“At the end, we’ll have all the squad here for sure it will be different,” Maresca concluded.

Different is guaranteed. The real question is whether “the new Rodri” arrives in time to keep City looking the same ruthless force on the pitch.