Pep Guardiola confidante dissects prolonged Manchester City stay over Barcelona and Bayern Munich stints | OneFootball

Ex Manchester City assistant coach Carles Planchart has explained why Pep Guardiola has stuck around in England longer than he did at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Guardiola signed a two-year extension in the fall of 2024 that is set to keep the 54-year-old in Manchester City colours till the end of the 2026-27 season – which will take the Catalan’s illustrious time in England’s north-west to 11 years.

Since replacing Manuel Pellegrini, Guardiola has built a winning dynasty in the blue side of Manchester and led City to six Premier League titles amongst a plethora of domestic silverware – as well as their premier UEFA Champions League title in 2023.

There remain question marks over Guardiola’s long-term managerial plans and whether the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss could pen a new deal, though much will hinge on how his side navigate the current and 2026-27 seasons as they navigate a new era at the Etihad Stadium.

Guardiola has opened the door to prolonging his managerial stint in Manchester in a series of interviews since the summer, becoming the fastest manager to 250 Premier League victories at the weekend after Manchester City’s 1-0 triumph away at Brentford.

Manchester City executives will be working behind the scenes to prepare a list of possible replacements for Guardiola when he does decide to move on, though it has to be said that City are in for a serious shock and inevitable blip when that crossroads moment comes.

In an interview with Sport, Carles Planchart, Guardiola’s long-time confidante who left City this summer, has given a detailed breakdown of his time with the Catalan since their days at Barcelona.

Giving his two cents on Guardiola signing a new deal at Manchester City till 2027, Planchart said: “It’s his decision, and he should be responsible, but I’m clear that this is why he’s been at City for so many years,” as quoted by Sport Witness.

“They’ve treated us like family. They’ve let us work as if we were at home. He (Guardiola) didn’t feel that way at Barca (Barcelona) or Bayern. What you see there is that the people at the club – the people around him, the fans – if they’re from a club, they’re from a club.

“Surely there are people who disagree with some things but when they go on the pitch, they’re from their team and they defend it to the death. I saw this many years ago when I visited (Rafael) Benitez at Liverpool. At City, we also had a family with Ferran Soriano and Txiki (Begiristain, City’s long-serving sporting director).”

However, Planchart has advised Guardiola to part ways with City sooner rather than later. “It’s a personal decision he’ll have to make,” the 59-year-old added. “I think a project should last five or six years, no more. But not for him (Guardiola), for everyone.

“Afterwards, you have to regenerate. As a friend, I would tell him (Guardiola) to look for a new project because he still has a long way to go.”

Guardiola is understood to be keen on taking some time away from football when he calls it a day at Manchester City, before potentially testing himself in international football, having been linked previously with the Brazil and Spain National Team managerial jobs.