Manchester City Begin Search for Rodri Successor After Barcelona Move

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca says the club will seek a replacement capable of succeeding Rodri after the midfielder's move to Barcelona. The Guardian reported that Barcelona paid 65 million pounds for Rodri, whose departure gives Maresca a major squad issue at the start of his first season in charge.

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Maresca framed the search as part of a recurring cycle at City, pointing to the club's previous success in replacing influential players. He cited Kevin De Bruyne's arrival after David Silva's era, Erling Haaland succeeding Sergio Aguero as the team's leading striker, and Rodri following Fernandinho in central midfield.

According to the Guardian, Rodri had told City that he wanted to leave. Maresca said he shared former manager Pep Guardiola's position that the club should not prevent a player from departing if the player is unhappy, arguing that dissatisfaction could affect performance. The manager did not identify a specific transfer target or set out a timetable for finding Rodri's successor.

The personnel challenge comes as City prepare to open their Premier League campaign at home to Bournemouth. Maresca's team enter that match after losing 3-0 to Arsenal in the Community Shield in Cardiff. He said the squad was upset after the defeat but had moved its attention to preparing for Bournemouth from Tuesday.

Maresca also addressed the transition following Guardiola's departure. He said the players' attitude in training had been very good, while acknowledging that adapting to a new manager after working with the same coach for a long period would require time. At the same time, he stressed that City must become competitive quickly rather than use the change as an excuse.

The manager indicated that three academy players had earned places around the senior group after impressing during preseason: Kaden Braithwaite, Floyd Samba and Ryan McAidoo. Maresca said his preferred squad would contain roughly 21 or 22 players, with about 20 senior options supplemented by the young players. That planning now includes the difficult task of reshaping City's midfield without Rodri, while the club tries to respond immediately to its Community Shield loss.