Could Pep Guardiola really leave Manchester City this season? | OneFootball

Speculation over Pep Guardiola’s future at Manchester City once again shot to the forefront of events after David Ornstein reported a growing anticipation that the Catalan will leave the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Given City’s recent upturn in form, it may seem like a slightly peculiar time for speculation about Guardiola’s future to appear, but some of the most intense rumours about the 54-year-old’s potential departure have come after City have won league titles.

In late 2019, rumours emerged that the Spaniard may want to return to Spain, whilst he gave a near definite decision that he wanted a “break” at the end of the 2022/23 season as he potentially wanted to go on to manage a national team. 

Instead of taking that break, the Catalan opted to sign a new two-year deal in the Northwest, running until the summer of 2025. Once again, it looked as if this would be Guardiola’s final term in Manchester, as he said he was “closer to leaving than staying” with the Cityzens following their title win in 2024.

City majorly struggled last campaign, experiencing by far their biggest dip in form during Guardiola’s tenure, scraping a third-placed finish in the league and losing the FA Cup final. However, he showed his passion for the club, as in the lowest moment under his leadership, after they had lost four consecutive games, he signed another two-year contract extension.

He came back to the idea of taking a “break” after leaving the Etihad Stadium this summer, saying he was unsure whether he would return to management after leaving City, but there is now the potential that this break could come sooner than initially anticipated.

Ornstein also reported that one of the strongest candidates to take over from the record-breaking manager is Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca. The Italian has previously spent time with City, coaching their under-23 side to an utterly dominant Premier League 2 title in the 2020/21 season, before working as an assistant to Guardiola during the 22/23 campaign. After winning the Championship with Leicester City, the 45-year-old moved to Chelsea and has won 61.8% of his games with the Blues.

Interestingly, Maresca recently signed with footballing agency Gestifute, run by ‘super agent’ Jorge Mendes, who has close links with City’s new Director of Football, Hugo Viana, as he represented Viana during his playing days. The Portuguese could potentially use these close contacts when making the first managerial appointment of his tenure.

Speaking in his press conference ahead of City’s game against West Ham United, Guardiola said that “the club must be prepared for anything” and that “there are not discussions” over his future going on internally.

However, the Catalan is under contract for another 18 months, and City are mid-way through reconstructing the squad. They have made a number of big-name signings, such as Omar Marmoush and Gianluigi Donnarumma, in the last 12 months, whilst club legends like Kyle Walker and Kevin De Bruyne have left the club.

Following a tumultuous period, City have hit their stride in recent weeks, winning each of their last six games in all competitions and losing just twice in their last 12 games. They currently sit just two points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table, and are battling at the top of the Champions League league phase standings.