When Maresca took over from Pep Guardiola in June, the Italian issued an apology to his former club Chelsea for the “disruption” his mid-season exit created.
Senior City figures told BBC Sport at the time they held no grudge toward Chelsea, and that the contractual issue—now resolved—was strictly between the Stamford Bridge club and Maresca.
That stance ultimately cleared the way for this transfer.
Maresca himself drove this blockbuster move, eager to reunite with his former Chelsea captain.
He is believed to view Fernandez as a trusted lieutenant—already fluent in his instructions and patterns of play—who won’t need a bedding-in period to control the midfield within the system.
The 46-year-old followed a similar blueprint upon becoming Chelsea boss in 2023, recruiting Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall after their title-winning stint together at Leicester.
At Friday’s pre-match press conference, Maresca hinted at a late arrival, saying he hoped to add “a captain” before the window closed.
This summer City parted with the experience of Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Rodri; Ruben Dias now wears the armband, with Erling Haaland among the leadership group.
Fernandez brings major-tournament pedigree to City’s midfield: a 2022 World Cup winner with Argentina, the event’s young player, and a key figure in their run to another final in July.
While his summer antics divided opinion, he appears to be the kind of teammate players relish beside them—and a persistent irritant to opponents and their supporters.
Earlier in the summer, City explored moves for Chelsea’s Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto, but the price tags deterred them; at that point, Fernandez was not a name Maresca had explicitly pushed to the hierarchy.
But exits for Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez left a glaring vacancy in central midfield.
Eyebrows rose when Maresca used centre-back Marc Guehi as a holding midfielder in the opener against Bournemouth, with the player himself admitting he was surprised by the switch.
That tweak stemmed from the pending arrival of Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi, so Guehi partnered fellow England international Anderson.
Ownership have now committed £125m to Fernandez, judging the outlay justified for their new manager—and delivering a player who might be the final piece for Maresca’s side to compete on all four fronts this season.
Despite a domestic cup double in Guardiola’s farewell campaign, City fell short in the Premier League and Champions League, leaving Maresca under pressure to improve in both.