Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca says the club must find a replacement for Rodri this month following the Spain captain's transfer to Barcelona.
Rodri, who won the 2024 Ballon d'Or, departed for the Spanish club last week after making it clear that he wanted to leave the Etihad Stadium. Manchester City are expected to wrap up a deal for Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi during the summer transfer window to bolster their options in midfield.
Manchester City are an English Premier League football club based in Manchester, competing at the top level of European football. Rodri served as a central figure in the team's midfield during recent successful seasons, helping the club secure major trophies domestically and internationally.
With Elliot Anderson already signed, Maresca is confident that the new arrivals can fill the void left by Rodri. The manager pointed out that Rodri had never lifted major silverware prior to joining Manchester City in 2019, underlining that the club can mould new signings into world-class performers.
"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."
Replacing key players at the Etihad Stadium
Maresca has been unequivocal that any player eyeing a move away can depart, mirroring the transfer principles of his predecessor Pep Guardiola. Pep Guardiola previously managed Manchester City through a period of sustained success before Maresca took charge of the squad.
The Italian coach claimed that life will move on at the club, recalling how Manchester City previously replaced established stars such as Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho.
"When Sergio [Aguero] was here, everyone was worried and Erling [Haaland] arrived," Maresca added. "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 Ballon d'Or is football's premier individual honor, awarded annually to the world's top player, while the UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup represent the highest levels of international club competition.
Squad depth and deadline day transfer plans
Maresca confirmed that he is looking to build a squad of around 20 outfield players for the season. Manchester City currently have 19 senior players, excluding summer signing Jeremy Monga.
That group of 19 senior players includes several figures subject to transfer interest from other clubs, including Tottenham target Omar Marmoush, Newcastle target Nico Gonzalez, and Jack Grealish.
Maresca acknowledged that managing players who want to leave presents a challenge during the final stage of the transfer window, but expressed optimism about completing necessary deals before deadline day.
"It doesn’t help that there are players that for different reasons want to leave, that is for sure," Maresca added. "But we need to adapt. There are 10 days to go, hopefully we can do the things that we need to do. 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. At the end, we’ll have all the squad here for sure it will be different."
