Pep Guardiola comments on potential ‘big summer’ in 2025 for Manchester City amid major club exits | OneFootball

A big summer is expected for Manchester City in 2025 with a growing list of changes anticipated at the Etihad Stadium in terms of playing and boardroom personnel.

The Premier League champions have already confirmed one major change at the top of the footballing operation, with Txiki Begiristain bringing an end to his 12-year stay at the football club in the position of Director of Football.

Begiristain has been largely credited as being responsible for the wide array of hugely successful signings making the move to Manchester City, whilst also playing a significant role in Pep Guardiola agreeing to become head coach in 2016.

However, having previously considered leaving five years ago and extending his stay until the age of 60, Txiki Begiristain will now be replaced by Sporting CP’s Hugo Viana in the role of sporting director next summer.

Speaking to the media in recent days, Pep Guardiola was asked whether a significant summer could be on the horizon for Manchester City, particularly in light of the aforementioned notable boardroom changes confirmed earlier this month.

“It’s a good question for Hugo Viana and Txiki (Begiristain). But I think every summer is something always that the club has to be ready,” Guardiola insisted.

“You pretend everything is fine, everything, a young squad and apparently there are two, three, or four players that knock on the door to say, ‘I want to leave. I don’t play. I’m not happy here. My family is…’, whatever. You have to be ready!”

He continued, “I think the clubs always have to do it, and of course there are players with certain ages and we have to see what happens. But I’ve said, always it has been, I give my opinion of course, but this is a question for sporting directors.”

Manchester City have already confirmed that Sporting CP’s current Director of Football, Hugo Viana will make the move over to the Etihad Stadium next year to take on the role left behind by Txiki Begiristain after 12 years working within the organisation.

On whether he was consulted about Begiristain’s successor, given his close working relationship with the 60-year-old, Guardiola said, “No, I gave my opinion yeah, many things I give my opinion. You know, I have my opinion, but the sporting director from the stands always has an opinion as well. It’s the same importance.”

He went on to explain, “We try to, ‘No because I’m a manager and I decide’, or you are a sporting director and you decide, we try to understand why it’s good or not, we doubt a lot, we talk a lot about what is the best, and all sporting directors, all the managers, all the clubs, you make a good decisions and always you make bad decisions.

“Nobody is safe from that. Nobody. Because it depends on many factors why one player can suit good in a good position. But I’ve said many times, I think even the players feel it, the club is well run, the structure is good, and the solid clubs don’t depend on one figure or another figure. When the club is strong, it doesn’t matter otherwise we will not be good.”

Pep Guardiola also insisted that he is yet to speak directly with Hugo Viana ahead of the Portuguese official’s arrival at the Etihad Stadium next year, while he does not know the 41-year-old personally.