The joke when talk of Ange Postecoglou moving to Spurs started to escalate was that he couldn't possibly turn down the chance of going to stadiums such as the Etihad over The Spaghettihad.
Yet one man being considered by Celtic as Postecoglou's replacement would have to make that switch in the opposite direction. And for Enzo Maresca it's the Etihad that is actually his current home as he assists Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.
So why would the 43-year-old Italian sacrifice the home of the Treble-chasing English champions for the likes of Livingston? Especially when you consider he will stand in the dug-out on Saturday night hoping to get his hands on the biggest prize in club football as City face Inter Milan in the Champions League Final in Istanbul. Well, it's one thing being a number two at a big club and quite another being your own man – as he found out during a shortlived spell in charge of Parma. Here, Record Sport examines Maresca's credentials as talk of a potential move to Parkhead ramps up.
Who is Enzo Maresca?
Maresca played as a midfielder for a host of clubs, mainly in Italy, but made the step up from youth level for the first time in England with West Brom. He would enjoy success in Italy with Juventus lifting the Serie A title in 2000, and also winning the Supercoppa. His spell in Turin wasn't without controversy, as he famously did a bull horns celebration against rivals Torino – mimicking the symbol of the club. He later was on the brink of a move to Toro, but the deal collapsed due to supporter outrage. He also enjoyed a trophy-laden spell in Sevilla where he picked up Copa del Rey, Supercopa and two UEFA Cup medals, one of which was won at Hampden.
He was the coach of the Manchester City under-23 side before returning to the Etihad to assist Guardiola after Juanma Lillo left to become manager of Al-Sadd. That came after a shortlived spell in charge of Parma. But even prior to taking over City Under-23s he had dug-out experience. He has previously worked as assistant at Serie B side Ascoli, before joining Unai Emery's backroom team at Sevilla and was number two to Manuel Pellegrini at West Ham.
What would he bring to Celtic?
It's safe to assume that being at Manchester City you are firmly aligned with the Pep Guardiola school of thinking, and that was clear with his Manchester City Under-23 side playing an entertaining style. "He’ll have learned a lot working under Pep," said Robert Snodgrass speaking a couple of years ago having worked under him at West Ham. "What you see with Pep and his style of play - that’s what Enzo looked up to. When he was at West Ham there were three or four different managers he’d study and try and work like in and out of possession. I thought he was top class. An elite level coach. You could see he had all the credentials to be a to gaffer." So, having working under the likes of Pellegrini there will also be an element of pragmatism with the former City and West Ham bosses side built on a solid defensive foundation. Expect an eclectic mix of styles if he was to get the Celtic job.
The Parma concern
This is definitely the one blot on his coaching CV and to be fair it's quite a big one given the fact it's the only time he's actually gone out on his own. Celtic fans will rightly be worried about how it worked out. He lasted just FOURTEEN competitive games (winning just four of them with five draws and five defeats) at the Stadio Ennio Tardini after they were relegated to Serie B and that was despite having international stars such as the legendary Gianluigi Buffon and Franco Vazquez. His team scored 18 goals and conceded 21 and a humiliating 4-0 defeat at Lecce proved the final straw last November.
What he said about the experience
Maresca insisted he gained a lot from his only spell as manager in an interview in his homeland earlier this year.
He said: "Managing in Italian football is difficult. But I am sure of one thing, I will be back as a manager one day. My family and I loved Parma. My daughter Maia was even born there. I will carry it forever in my heart.
"I regard my experience as Parma manager as a positive one. By nature, I am a positive person and I take the good out of all my experiences. But I have one regret.
"I was only starting my managerial adventure when it was ended. We were on the right track, the problem was that we had to try and construct a new team and that takes time. We needed to have the patience and strength to believe in something and over time I am certain we would have succeeded.
"We were at 17 points after 13 matches - three points from eighth place and with a completely new team. But listen in football, we all make mistakes and so did I.
"Parma gave me a three-year contract. And when you accept a multi-year contract it's because there's a project idea behind it. In those three years, the target was we had to reach Serie A. Nobody ever told me that we should have gone to Serie A in the first season, especially as there were about 15 players arriving at the club.
"But I repeat, we were definitely on the right track. I can't say why I was fired. Perhaps they thought with the squad we had, we should have been top of the table. I agree...but just not right away. With a little more time and some corrections, we would have got there.
"I had identified three signings in January and I am certain we would have made the play-offs.
"It's gone now. I look ahead. Now I am back working with Pep Guardiola. It's very exciting to be with him."
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