Ruben Dias: Manchester City signings desperate to win under Maresca

Ruben Dias, the new Manchester City captain, delivered a clear message about the club's transformation: the summer arrivals are desperate to win and the whole dressing room is buying into Enzo Maresca's project. The Portuguese centre-back takes on the leadership role in a season defined by the biggest spend in Premier League history and the exit of legends such as Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones.

• Manchester City spent £458m, a Premier League record, with Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi as headline signings.
• The club recouped more than £300m in sales and lost key figures like 2024 Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, former captain Bernardo Silva and John Stones.
• Ruben Dias takes the armband after joining from Benfica for £65m in 2020 and playing more than 250 games for the club.
• Enzo Maresca replaced Pep Guardiola after ten years and started with four straight victories in the Premier League and Champions League.
• From the 2023 treble-winning side, only Dias, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Rico Lewis remain.

Ruben Dias gets the armband during a dressing room overhaul

Dias has been part of City's leadership group since joining from Benfica for £65m in 2020. Now Maresca has handed him the captaincy at a time of radical change. The defender, with more than 250 appearances for the club, says the role changes nothing about his approach: it comes down to being the best version of himself.

So many people have left and so many winners have left, and now new people have joined with a lot of ambition and people that are desperate to win. That is what makes the club keep on going.

The Portuguese highlights the mix between those who left, those who stayed and those who just arrived. In his view, players like Enzo Fernandez already understand what it takes to win titles in Manchester and can show the way, while the newcomers arrive with dreams intact. The combination of both generations, he insists, is what keeps the project alive.

Maresca era takes over from Guardiola legacy

The change in the dugout came after a glorious decade with Pep Guardiola, who stepped down at the end of last season following ten years at the Etihad Stadium. His replacement is Maresca, a former assistant to the Catalan with spells as head coach at Leicester City and Chelsea.

Dias admits Guardiola's departure was not an easy moment for the club, but he fully trusts the Italian. He calls Maresca the perfect person for the job because he knows the house so well. The start backs him up: four consecutive victories in the Premier League and Champions League before Sunday's derby at Old Trafford.

What is different about Maresca's Manchester City

There are many new things, from the training session to details about how we press and how we defend. Everything is part of Enzo's idea. I feel like everything makes a lot of sense.

The new captain stresses that the squad is excited about Maresca's plan and that training sessions are full of joy, an aspect he considers massively important. Without direct comparisons to Guardiola, Dias makes it clear the tactical adjustments and the Italian's methodology connect with the group.

From 2023 treble winner to last veteran of an era

The speed of change has made Dias one of City's longest-serving players. Only he, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Rico Lewis remain from the squad that won the treble in 2023. It is a clear sign of the deep renewal driven by the club over the summer.

With four Premier League titles, one Champions League and two FA Cups on his CV, the Portuguese recently signed a contract extension until 2029, with the option of a further year. At 29, he makes no secret of his ambition and says his biggest challenge would be to keep his consistency and hunger to win at the top level for so many years.

Manchester derby poses the toughest test for the new project

Manchester City face their most demanding match so far on Sunday against Manchester United at Old Trafford. With a perfect record in both competitions, Maresca's side will put their new identity to the test against their city rivals in a derby that will serve as a real barometer for the revamped project.