Maresca warns City need reinforcements after Shield humbling

Enzo Maresca acknowledged Manchester City are set for a busy end to the transfer window after his first competitive game in charge ended in a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield in Cardiff on Sunday.

Riccardo Calafiori, Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard scored for the Gunners in the biggest margin of victory in a Community Shield match since 2014, when Arsenal also beat City 3-0.

City were exposed defensively in the absence of Rodri, the Golden Ball recipient at this year's World Cup, and widespread reports on Sunday suggested Barcelona had agreed a €76m (£65m) fee with City to sign the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner, who has won 13 trophies in seven years at the Etihad Stadium.

Maresca insisted the issues go beyond replacing Rodri:

"Rodri is a player that just won the World Cup, who won the Ballon d'Or. He's a top player and all teams need a player like him. It's not about whether we miss Rodri or not."

Bouaddi interest and midfield options

The City boss nodded when asked about a potential move for Lille's 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who could reportedly cost up to €100m (£85m) after impressing for Morocco at the World Cup.

"He is still a Lille player. But with any new signings, the sooner they arrive, the better, because we have the Premier League starting in one week."

Maresca added: "We knew already before the game the things that we needed to do. It is not because we lost the game. We are quite clear. For sure, we are going to do something before the transfer window closes."

Reports suggest City hope to complete the signing of Bouaddi before the Premier League opener against Bournemouth on Sunday. Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez has also been suggested as a possible midfield target after the wantaway Argentine was booed by some supporters during the Blues' friendly win over Real Sociedad on Saturday.

Leadership group trimmed

Maresca dropped a further hint concerning Rodri's departure when asked about the make-up of City's leadership group. With Bernardo Silva also departing for Real Madrid earlier this summer, Maresca said Ruben Dias and Erling Haaland were the only captains remaining in City's squad, with two more to be selected at the end of the transfer window.

"At the moment it is Ruben and Erling, and I want to wait until the end of the transfer window and pick two more. Ruben has shown during his time at this club how he is as a player, in terms of his leadership. It's important for the captains and the leaders to know that the reason they are captains is because I expect more from them. It's not because I give them more freedom or advantage. It's the opposite, the leadership group and captains have to show more and give more than the others."