Man City coach on Blackpool radar as hunt for new manager intensifies | OneFootball

They may be playing League One football next season, but it appears that the Blackpool managerial vacancy is a job that is in-demand.

The Tangerines are without a head coach following Mick McCarthy's departure in April, with former player Stephen Dobbie having steered the ship until the end of the 2022-23 season.

Dobbie could not save the club from relegation and it appears that the hierarchy are taking their time and mulling over their options when it comes to appointing a new figure in the dugout.

What is the latest on Blackpool's managerial search?

It has been over a whole month since McCarthy departed from his role as Blackpool manager, and owner Simon Sadler has still yet to decide on who his successor will be.

Dobbie will be perhaps hoping to land the job on a full-time basis following improved performances under his caretaker stewardship, but plenty of names have been linked as the next head coach.

Neil Critchley has been linked with a second stint at Bloomfield Road, with ex-players Richie Wellens and Charlie Adam also in the frame as well as Barrow boss Pete Wild.

However, a new name has emerged in the form of Enzo Maresca, with the Man City coach now said to be on the radar of the Tangerines according to a report from Alan Nixon on Patreon and that they are making a big effort to bring him to the Fylde coast.

Who is Enzo Maresca?

Despite being born and raised in Italy, Maresca actually made his professional footballing debut in England for West Brom after a youth career spent with AC Milan and Cagliari.

The midfielder made his debut for the Baggies as an 18-year-old before signing for Juventus in 2000 for £4.3 million, with other clubs played for in his 19-year career being the likes of Fiorentina, Sevilla, Olympiakos and Palermo.

Retiring in 2017, Maresca moved into coaching and was briefly an assistant for Ascoli, but some months later he joined former club Sevilla as a coach for manager Vincenzo Montella but he was then snapped up by West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini to be his assistant in 2018.

Headhunted by Man City in 2020, Maresca coached the club's under-23's to the Premier League 2 title before being hired by Parma to be their head coach in May 2021.

Such is the managerial merry go round in Italy though, Maresca departed there in November 2021 and last summer he returned to Man City to be Pep Guardiola's assistant, where he has helped him wrap up yet another Premier League title this season.