Of course they will - absolutely.
And Maresca may well be more than up to meeting those expectations. Obviously the intention won’t be to appoint someone they don’t think can do the job.
But there is a school of thought in replacing long-tenured people in senior positions, that the very best don’t necessarily want to follow immediately - as it’s still all about their predecessor, and the succession.
That the slate needs to be cleared of all that noise and consternation, which then allows the real successor to come in and do the job properly.
I used to work for a company that did complex psychometric profiling of potential senior appointments in business, and we used to advise on recruiting leaders/CEOs with specific characteristics at different stages of a company’s growth, and this exact scenario was widely discussed - how to replace a founder/long tenured leader.
The very best candidates don’t really want the job straight after, and will look to follow the one that follows. You need someone who will come in and do a competent job, holding performance more or less at level whilst the organisation goes through a significant period of change.
Fuck knows - Marseca could surprise us all, stay for a decade, and surpass Pep’s stellar achievements. I hope he does.
But the same scenario I’m describing could just as easily play out - and there’s plenty of precedent for it, both within football and outside of the game.
