Maresca Pins Hopes on Academy Trio as City Scramble for Late Window Deals
Enzo Maresca has confirmed that Kaden Braithwaite, Floyd Samba, and Ryan McAidoo will remain with the Manchester City first-team squad for the upcoming campaign. The announcement arrived as the Blues navigate a chaotic final week of the transfer window, with the manager openly acknowledging the need for reinforcements.
"They are going to stay with us," Maresca said of the academy trio. "And then we need 21, 22 players, around 20 players plus these three young, full of energy. We are happy!"
The timing feels significant. City have already parted ways with Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders this summer, while Savinho edges closer to an £85 million switch to Tottenham. The squad is suddenly thinner than anyone at the Etihad would have anticipated when the window opened.
Maresca, though, has seen enough from his younger charges to trust them. The trio were among several City Football Academy prospects taken on the pre-season tour of Hong Kong and South Korea, a trip designed to give senior stars extended rest following the FIFA World Cup in North America.
"They are working very good! Since day one, the attitude and behaviour has been very good," the former Chelsea and Leicester manager added. The 46-year-old has been impressed by what he has witnessed since returning to the club as Pep Guardiola's successor.
The optimism around the academy graduates sits against a backdrop of mounting urgency in the market. Lille and Manchester City have reached an agreement over Ayyoub Bouaddi, with the Moroccan international set to sign a five-year contract at the Etihad in a deal worth €95 million plus €5 million in add-ons. Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez, AS Roma's Manu Kone, and Palmeiras' Allan Elias remain the other publicly known targets, with Elias viewed as a potential replacement for the outgoing Savinho.
Selling clubs will likely hold City to ransom given how late sporting director Hugo Viana has left the midfield rebuild. It is the department of Maresca's squad that has seen the most significant turnover since his appointment.
The Community Shield defeat to Arsenal offered a stark reminder of the work ahead. Mikel Arteta's side swept the Blues away in an early statement of intent to the rest of the Premier League. The response, it seems, will involve giving youth its head while the recruitment team scrambles to fill the gaps.