Txiki Begiristain’s promise of Manchester City exit for leading coach revealed | OneFootball

Manchester City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain kept his promise of an exit for one of the club’s most valued coaches, a new report has revealed.

That concerned the future of former Manchester City Elite Development Squad Head Coach, Brian Barry-Murphy who left his position at the football club in July having been in the role for three years.

First arriving in the summer of 2021 following a hugely commendable spell as first-team manager at Rochdale, Barry-Murphy went on to guide Manchester City’s EDS to successive Premier League 2 title triumphs in both 2021/22 and 2022/23.

In the process, Manchester City became the first Club to win a hat-trick of Premier League 2 titles following their maiden success in 2020/21. The Irishman’s spell also saw him work closely with Pep Guardiola to nurture youth talent.

But that relationship with senior first-team figures extended way beyond Guardiola, with a new report detailing the bond that was formed between Brian Barry-Murphy and the man charged with constructing the first-team roster of players at the Etihad Stadium.

According to the information of MailSport’s Jack Gaughan, Manchester City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain became an ‘unforeseen mentor’ for the club’s Elite Development Squad head coach, Brian Barry-Murphy.

Such was the closeness of their working relationship, the report reveals that in 2023, after Manchester City’s Under 21s lifted a third straight Premier League 2 title, Begiristain asked Barry-Murphy to stay for 12 more months, and then promised the club would set him free.

Gaughan went on to explain, “It was an inspired decision, given how (Pep) Guardiola continued to gravitate towards the Irishman. He got an extra few months to soak up the magic of City’s fourth league title on the spin.”

Upon leaving Manchester City, the club’s recently-appointed Academy Director Thomas Kruecken said of Barry-Murphy, “Brian has made a huge contribution in his time at the Club.”

Kruecken continued, “Guiding our Under-21s to two successive Premier League 2 titles was a superb achievement and he deserves great credit for the role he played.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank Brian for all of his efforts during his time at the Club and to wish him well for his future career.”

Brian Barry-Murphy was replaced internally by Manchester City, with the club’s Under-18 squad Lead Coach, Ben Wilkinson promoted into the position of heading up operations around the Elite Development Squad.