Chris Sutton wonders if Manchester City U21 manager Enzo Maresca may be the ideal candidate to build upon the foundations Ange Postecoglou laid down at Parkhead.
He certainly ticks plenty of boxes.
While the likes of David Moyes would arrive at Celtic with a style of play completely at odds with that of his predecessor, the mere fact that Enzo Maresca was entrusted with the reigns at one of Europe’s most forward-thinking academies is testament to his reputation as a developer of young talent and as a proponent of a fluid, free-flowing style of football.
“What is needed is not someone to come in and basically start again. They need someone to continue (Postecoglou’s) good work,” former Celtic striker Sutton tells the Daily Record.
“Someone who has the same philosophies and ideals. With that in mind, I can see a lot of reasons why Enzo Maresca would appeal as a viable candidate. He is, after all, Guardiola’s assistant.”
Will Enzo Maresca become Celtic’s new manager?
The Man City boss insisted that Maresca – like his former assistant Mikel Arteta – possessed all the tools to become an ‘extraordinary’ head coach; ‘delighted’ with the work the 43-year-old Italian had done with the club’s U21 side.
Maresca set City’s youngsters on their way to three straight Premier League 2 titles, all the while instilling a possession-based brand of attacking football reminiscent of Guardiola himself, not to mention Postecoglou.
“I’m not standing here saying appoint Maresca,” Sutton adds. “What I am saying is that continuity is important. Finding someone who can slot into the system and into the squad of players and their playing style is maybe just all Celtic need at the moment.
“He might be that.”
If the appointment of Postecoglou as Neil Lennon’s successor taught the Hoops fans anything, its that you do not necessarily need a ‘big name’ or a vast experience of Scottish football in order to thrive north of the border.
Sutton draws a comparison between Maresca and the hitherto litte-known Roberto de Zerbi; written off in some quarters before taking Brighton into Europe for the first time ever.
“Be honest, not many folk who aren’t students of the European game had heard of Roberto De Zerbi when he walked into Brighton,” Sutton adds. “And now people have him down as the game’s next gift.
“The name is irrelevant. Ut’s what he can bring to the table that matters. We could see from day one that Postecoglou had the tools to deliver.”
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