When Maresca was appointed as Pep Guardiola’s replacement in June, the Italian apologised to his former club Chelsea for the “disruption” caused by his mid-season departure.
Senior City sources had told Sport at the time that they held no ill feeling towards Chelsea and that the now-resolved contractual dispute was between the Stamford Bridge club and Maresca.
And that has played out in this deal happening.
The manager was the key factor in this blockbuster deal with Maresca keen to reunite with his former Chelsea skipper.
It is understood Maresca wanted Fernandez as someone who he can fully trust and rely on, a player that is familiar with the manager’s instructions, the patterns of play and does not need to be learn how to operate in the middle of the park in the system.
The 46-year-old had a similar approach when being appointed as Chelsea manager in 2023, signing Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall having worked with the player at Leicester during their Championship-winning campaign.
Looking back on Friday’s pre-match news conference, Maresca had hinted at a late incoming by saying he was hoping to add “a captain” to his squad before the end of the transfer window.
City have lost the experience of Bernardo Silva, John Stones and Rodri this summer, with Ruben Dias taking the captain’s armband and Erling Haaland being part of the leadership group.
Fernandez adds big-game know-how to City’s midfield after winning the 2022 World Cup with Argentina, being named young player of the tournament, and helping his country to a second-straight final in July.
His antics during the summer may not make him a universally popular figure but Fernandez comes across as a player that team-mates love to have alongside them and one that gets under the skin of the opposition players and supporters.
City had been interested in signing Chelsea’s Pedro Neto and Malo Gusto earlier this summer but were seemingly put off by the respective asking prices and, at that stage, Fernandez was not a player that Maresca had necessarily asked the hierarchy to sign.
However, the departures of Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders and Nico Gonzalez meant there was a gaping hole left in the middle of the park that needed filling.
Eyebrows were raised when Maresca deployed centre-back Marc Guehi in a holding midfield role in the opening game against Bournemouth, with the player himself saying he was surprised by the change in position.
That alteration came about as the deal for Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi had not been completed, so Guehi played alongside fellow England international Anderson.
The ownership have now splashed out £125m on Fernandez and deemed it as being worth the hefty fee for their new manager – they can also point to delivering a player who could be the final tool needed for Maresca and his men to challenge on all four fronts this season.
Though City claimed a domestic cup double in Guardiola’s final season in charge, they fell short in the Premier League and Champions League so Maresca will now be under pressure to fare better in both of those competitions.