Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca held a press conference ahead of Sunday's match against Bournemouth at the Etihad Stadium in the first round of the English Premier League.
Speaking about Omar Marmoush's future and whether he would leave Manchester City, in statements published by "CityXtra," Maresca said: "I don't know. Omar is still here and still with us. The situation is different from Savinho's, and we will see what happens. Certainly, we will have more options if some players leave, and if someone leaves, a replacement must come in. Savinho has requested to leave since day one, whereas Marmoush has not asked for that. But has he asked now? Not yet."
Maresca added regarding the start of the new season: "I am very excited to start this new journey. Our goal is to continue on the same path as in the past ten or fifteen years. I am happy that we will finally play our first match at home. I am extremely excited."
Maresca ruled out Jeremy Doku for the match against Bournemouth due to injury, while confirming that he has regained the services of Matheus Nunes.
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Maresca said about the idea of convincing Rodri to stay: "It is very clear when a player wants to leave, and at that time, the situation becomes difficult. Whatever the reason for this desire, convincing them to stay or changing their mind is a complex process. That happened with Rodri, and the same is happening with Savinho. Since day one, he has been asking to leave, so we are waiting to see what happens. But it becomes complicated when a player thinks they need a new challenge or wants a change, perhaps to return to Spain or to get more playing time. These are various reasons that make it difficult to convince them to stay."
Maresca spoke about the departures of Tijjani Reijnders and Savinho, and the doubts regarding the futures of Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez: "Except for Rodri, everyone shares one thing: they have not played many matches. We have said this many times. Players train hard every day because they want to play in the end, and when they do not get a chance to participate, they are likely to prefer leaving. The names I mentioned, except for Rodri, are players who have not played much for various reasons."
Maresca confirmed: "I am not worried about Manchester City needing to sign late deals. We knew exactly what we needed from day one, and we are working with sporting director Hugo Viana and the club. There are 10 or 11 days left until the transfer window closes, and a lot can happen. We do not have a minimum or maximum number of deals required at Manchester City. Whether we win or lose, we will not change our viewpoint or conviction about the number of players we need. We know exactly the number we need, and we will see what happens in the next ten days."
Maresca continued regarding reports pointing to Manchester City's interest in signing Enzo Fernandez: "He is a Chelsea player, and I will not talk about players who are not with us. First, because I see that as a lack of respect, and second, because I do not like it when other managers talk about our players."
Maresca defined his goal with Manchester City: "We are a club that cannot wait for time to pass to compete. We must compete from day one. We are going to win matches."
Maresca praised his star, Phil Foden: "I think he played a good match against Arsenal. You can feel how ready and brilliant he is. He has been in excellent form since day one. People around the team tell me that compared to the past year or two, Foden has become a completely different player in terms of his overall mood and what he shows in training sessions, and that is what we are looking for. Foden is an academy graduate and a son of the club. It is wonderful for everyone to see him develop and improve continuously."
Maresca said about Foden and Ryan Cherki: "I think if you want to build a strong and important team, you need competition within the team. It is good to have competition between Foden and Cherki, but they can also play together in some matches."
Maresca added: "I think we have a strong squad. We must be ready to compete. The reason I am here is my desire to win titles and continue the club's journey. Where are we now? It is a bit complicated because we started working only one month ago, but the intention is definitely to compete as soon as possible."
Regarding his presence at Manchester City, Maresca expressed his happiness: "It is an honor for me to be here. It is a great club and a huge institution. I am confident that, thanks to the players and the club, we are capable of achieving something important. It does not happen by magic, of course, but it is something that requires building, and we will do that."
Maresca concluded about Doku: "He will be out for two or three weeks due to a calf muscle injury. Unfortunately, he complained during the last match against Arsenal. Our plan was for him to play for 45 minutes, so the substitution was planned in advance."
