Man City Boss Maresca Targets Next Rodri after Midfielder's Exit

16 August 2026, United Kingdom, Cardiff: Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca reacts on the touchline during the FA Community Shield soccer match between Arsenal and Manchester City, at Principality Stadium. Photo: Nick Potts/PA Wire/dpa

Asharq Al Awsat

07:01-23 August 2026 AD ـ 11 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

Asharq Al Awsat

07:01-23 August 2026 AD ـ 11 Rabi’ Al-Awwal 1448 AH

Man City Boss Maresca Targets Next Rodri after Midfielder's Exit

Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca said the club would look to find the next Rodri following the midfielder's departure to Barcelona, insisting City had repeatedly shown an ability to replace key players.

Rodri, 30, ended a seven-year spell at City on Tuesday, bringing to a close a trophy-laden stay that included four Premier League titles, the Champions League and two FA Cups.

"I'll try to find a new Rodri - it is what it is," Maresca told reporters on Saturday, a day ahead of City's Premier League opener against Bournemouth.

"Rodri, before he arrived here, he didn't win the Ballon d'Or, he didn't win the ⁠Champions League, he ⁠didn't win the Club World Cup. Then he joined the club and then he achieved many important things.

"Now the target for us is to try to find the new Rodri,” Reuters quoted him as saying.

Maresca acknowledged the Spain international would be difficult to replace but said City's recruitment history gave him confidence that a successor could emerge.

"When David ⁠Silva was here, everyone was worried – Kevin (De Bruyne) arrived. When Sergio Aguero was here, everyone was worried – Erling (Haaland) arrived. When Fernandinho left, Rodri arrived. It's just about this," he said.

"When they leave, you need to be good and recruit the next one."

Rodri, the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner and a member of Spain's European Championship-winning team, further enhanced his reputation by captaining his country to World Cup glory last month and being named player of the tournament.

His departure is among several notable changes during the close ⁠season as ⁠City continue to reshape their squad.

Maresca said he expected further transfer activity before the window closes but remained relaxed despite reports linking Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez with moves away.

"We need to adapt and we don't want to keep players here that don't want to stay. The normal thing in transfer windows is that you have to wait because all the clubs try to keep players until the last week and then sell for more money," he said.

"It's normal. I'm not worried about that. When the transfer window closes and we have all the squad there, for sure it will be different."

Arsenal Crash to Defeat at Brighton, Tottenham Gloom Deepens

Brighton's Charalampos Kostoulas, right and Kadioglu celebrate after scoring second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Brighton & Hove Albion and Arsenal in Brighton, England, Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026. (AP)

00:40-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Arsenal Crash to Defeat at Brighton, Tottenham Gloom Deepens

Brighton and Hove Albion brought Arsenal's perfect start to the season to an abrupt end with a stunning 3-0 demolition of the Premier League champions on the south coast on Saturday.

Pascal Gross and Charalampos Kostoulas rewarded Brighton's first-half dominance with precise finishes and Chema Andres struck with a header after the interval as Arsenal slumped to their heaviest defeat for three years.

Earlier, Tottenham Hotspur scored their first Premier League goals of the season, but they proved in vain as they remained without a victory, going down 3-2 at home to Aston Villa.

Promoted Hull City suffered their first league defeat of the season as they lost 2-1 at Newcastle United while Everton moved into the top five as they beat Ipswich Town 1-0.

Coventry City scored their first goal and earned their first points since ending their 25-year exile from the top flight with a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest to move off the bottom.

Arsenal had won seven successive matches since the start of the ‌campaign, including their ‌opening four Premier League games, to begin their title defense in ominous fashion.

But the wheels ‌fell ⁠off spectacularly against ⁠a free-scoring Brighton side who moved into third place.

'NOT RESPECTING THE GAME'

"A really disappointing result and performance. Brighton were another gear up from us. We were extremely poor technically and not respecting the game," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said.

"They were another gear from us in the basics of the game."

Wearing a special blue-shirted kit to mark their 125th anniversary, Fabian Huerzeler's Brighton produced an intensity that Arsenal simply could not match.

Gross beat Arsenal keeper David Raya in the 31st minute with a low shot that went in off the upright -- his fourth goal in his last five games -- and Kostoulas scored with a similar effort following a counter-attack less than a ⁠minute after Bukayo Saka was close to an equalizer at the other end.

Andres punished some ‌slack marking to head in from close range from Gross's corner.

Arsenal have 12 ‌points from five games, the same as Manchester City who can move three points clear at the top if they beat Sunderland on ‌Sunday. Brighton, who have scored a league-leading 16 goals, have 10 points.

TOTTENHAM LURCH DEEPER INTO TROUBLE

Aston Villa breathed a sigh ‌of relief as they claimed their first league win of the season, but Tottenham's season lurched deeper into trouble after a third league defeat of the season.

Villa keeper Zion Suzuki produced several fine saves to frustrate Tottenham and Unai Emery's side took the lead in first-half stoppage time when summer signing Johan Manzambi tapped in while the hosts were down to 10 men after Micky van de Ven was off ‌the pitch receiving treatment for a cut face.

Nicolas Jackson doubled Villa's advantage in the 67th minute, finishing clinically to put the visitors firmly in control and Emi Buendia struck ⁠11 minutes from time with ⁠a rocket to the top corner from 22 yards.

Many Tottenham fans had streamed to the exits before Conor Gallagher and Jan Paul van Hecke scored late on to salvage some respectability for Roberto De Zerbi's strugglers.

"Today I was very disappointed, very sad, very frustrated for the performance. Because we can't lose this game in this way, absolutely," De Zerbi, whose side have two points and could end up bottom heading into the international break, said.

Thierno Barry's goal was enough for unbeaten Everton to take the points against Ipswich and move fifth. Abdul Fatawu was sent off for a second yellow card for Ipswich in the 67th minute.

Newcastle galloped into a two-goal lead against Hull with Joe Willock and Lewis Hall scoring in the opening seven minutes but were forced to hang on as Mohamed-Ali Cho replied for the visitors midway through the second half.

In the late game at the City Ground, Jay Dasilva's brilliant 55th-minute effort was enough for Coventry to make their mark after a tough start to the season for Frank Lampard's team.

Dasilva latched on to a long clearance and curled a shot past Matz Sels. Forest were denied a late equalizer when Igor Jesus poked home but was adjudged, after a VAR check, to have tripped defender Caleb Yirenkyi in the build-up.

Sports

Salah Hat-Trick Fires Trabzonspor to 4-0 Rout of Galatasaray

Salah celebrates his second goal of the match. (Trabzonspor Club website)

00:36-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Salah Hat-Trick Fires Trabzonspor to 4-0 Rout of Galatasaray

Salah celebrates his second goal of the match. (Trabzonspor Club website)

Mohamed Salah ‌scored a hat-trick and set up another goal as Trabzonspor thrashed defending champions Galatasaray 4-0 at home on Saturday, handing the Istanbul side their first defeat of the Turkish Super Lig season.

Salah opened the scoring in the fourth minute, running through from midfield ‌and finishing ‌calmly, before he turned ‌provider ⁠to set up ⁠Noah Saviolo, who struck from inside the penalty area in the 39th.

Salah added a third in the 44th minute with a clinical finish from a Franculino ⁠Dju assist, sending the team ‌he joined ‌last month into the break three ‌goals up.

He completed his hat-trick in ‌the 80th minute, running more than half the length of the pitch unchallenged to score with a trademark ‌side-foot finish.

Galatasaray coach Okan Buruk was sent to the ⁠stands ⁠in the 71st minute while Lesley Ugochukwu was shown a red card in the 87th.

German coach Thomas Reis took charge of Trabzonspor this week following the departure of Fatih Tekke earlier this month.

Trabzonspor are fifth in the table with 10 points from six games, three points behind leaders Galatasaray.

Sports

Lampard’s Coventry Earn Landmark First Premier League Win in 25 Years

Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Coventry City - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - September 19, 2026 Coventry City's Jay Dasilva celebrates after the match. (Reuters)

00:35-20 September 2026 AD ـ 09 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Lampard’s Coventry Earn Landmark First Premier League Win in 25 Years

Football - Premier League - Nottingham Forest v Coventry City - The City Ground, Nottingham, Britain - September 19, 2026 Coventry City's Jay Dasilva celebrates after the match. (Reuters)

Jay Dasilva sealed Coventry City's ‌first Premier League win for 25 years on Saturday as Frank Lampard's side finally kick-started their season with a 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest.

A horrible opening run of fixtures, including away trips to Arsenal and Manchester City, had given the Midlands side, who won last season's Championship, a stark reality check.

Last week’s 5-0 home drubbing by Brighton and Hove Albion had left Coventry without a point or a goal and with a goal difference of minus 10, setting alarm bells ringing.

But when Dasilva expertly controlled a raking long delivery by keeper Carl Rushworth and cut in to bend a ‌shot past ‌Forest keeper Matz Sels in the 55th minute, it ‌felt ⁠like lift-off.

Coventry's hearts ⁠sank when Igor Jesus appeared to have equalized late on for the hosts, but he was ruled to have clipped the foot of Caleb Yirenkyi, causing the midfielder to stumble, and the goal was chalked off after a VAR check.

It was the slice of fortune that Coventry deserved for an impressive display and one that will send them into the international break ⁠feeling like they now belong among the elite.

"It feels ‌great, it feels amazing," Lampard said. "The way ‌the players worked for it. Having lost our first four games in different ‌circumstances, it's easy to feel negative, like where is the goal, where ‌is the win coming from?

"The players deserve it. It's really important for some of the players, for many of them it's their debut in the Premier League and they need to feel like they belong."

Coventry's last win in the Premier ‌League was against Sunderland in April 2001, but a few games later they were relegated to end their ⁠34-year stay ⁠in the top flight.

The club dipped into the fourth tier during the troubled decades that followed, but all that was forgotten as the fans celebrated wildly at the final whistle.

"We have to keep our feet on the ground because it's one win, and we've felt how ruthless the league is already," Lampard, a three-time Premier League winner as a player with Chelsea, said. "We've had two of the toughest games on paper, probably in City and Arsenal, but it doesn't matter.

"The points still said zero after four games and that hurts. So I think going into a break, yeah, for sure, for everyone to have a bit of rest, to feel good about it.

"You know that’s the starting point, so they can use that."

Man City Boss Maresca Targets Next Rodri after Midfielder's Exit

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