Former Manchester City manager hints at final Pep Guardiola decision on Etihad future | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola will already have a plan in his head over his Manchester City future, one of the club’s former managers has said in a new interview.

Speculation around Guardiola’s position at the Etihad Stadium has intensified in recent weeks, with contingency planning a regular theme across media coverage. Although the Catalan remains under contract until 2027, City will likely be quietly preparing for all eventualities should he decide to bring his era to a close earlier than expected.

Sporting director Hugo Viana will no doubt have been tasked with overseeing long-term succession planning, with Manchester City keen to ensure continuity in both playing style and elite-level competitiveness.

Several names have already been linked in recent months, including Vincent Kompany, Roberto De Zerbi, Andoni Iraola and most strongly, Enzo Maresca, with Pep Guardiola himself expected to have input when the time comes – despite publicly denying such an idea.

There is a belief that Pep Guardiola will choose the timing of his eventual departure carefully, ensuring both squad stability and readiness within a playing department that has been heavily restructured during recent transfer windows.

Speaking exclusively to BetWay, former Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce has been quizzed on whether the future of Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium may be affected by what happens in the ongoing Premier League title race.

“I think he’s got a plan in his head and he’ll know whether he wants to stay or go, and I don’t think results come into play at all. I thought that two years ago that was going to be it for him at the end of the season, and it wasn’t and he kept going and going,” said Pearce.

He continued, “With the intensity he works at, he’s one of the best there’s ever been – there’s no doubt about that. I always think, is there a burnout situation there or not?

“But he’ll go when he’s got a plan to go, and he’ll go as being arguably City’s best manager there’s ever been. I don’t think results will play a part in it at all. I don’t think he’s wired that way.”

Several former players and pundits have already highlighted their belief that the next Manchester City manager will inherit one of the most demanding roles in football, where even sustained success may still be measured against Pep Guardiola’s unprecedented standards.

Internally, however, there remains no sense of urgency, with Guardiola still deeply involved in squad planning and recruitment, while others have insisted he is as settled and content as he has been at any stage of his tenure.

For now, any final decision appears to rest solely with Pep Guardiola himself, and whether he chooses to see out his contract until 2027 or step aside earlier, the consistent message emerging is that City will not be caught unprepared.