Pep Guardiola’s glittering reign at Manchester City will stretch to a decade after the manager surprised the Premier League champions by committing to a new contract in principle.
Guardiola is set to pen an extension to his deal which could run another two years until 2027, in a significant boost to City – who were facing the prospect of simultaneously losing both their all-conquering boss and sporting director, Txiki Begiristain.
Mail Sport reported in the summer that Guardiola was expected to call time on his illustrious spell in charge at the end of this season, with a changing of the guard deemed highly likely by those close to him.
It’s understood that senior figures had been tentatively discussing succession planning, while Guardiola received contact from the FA about the England job in July.
Friends of Guardiola had been left with the impression that the possibility of replacing Gareth Southgate was something he was seriously considering.
But the 53-year-old returned to pre-season training refreshed after completing history by managing the team to four consecutive league titles.
Pep Guardiola has agreed to sign a new contract with Man City in a major boost to the club
Guardiola has enjoyed a stunning tenure with City since joining in 2016, winning 18 trophies
Guardiola, 53, has agreed a one-year extension, with the option for a second year after that
And although he continued to weigh up his decision – with sources claiming they were unsure of the outcome as recently as this month – the talk around Guardiola’s future had dramatically altered during the early months of the campaign. The development indicates that he is invigorated to oversee significant change within the squad next summer.
There were also potential logistical complications surrounding a new manager next summer to factor in, given City’s involvement in the revamped Club World Cup, which is due to finish a matter of weeks before the 2025-26 season.
Ex-Newcastle United midfielder Hugo Viana is taking over from Begiristain as City head into a new era, with the pair in close contact during a transitional handover period.
Guardiola will remain the constant through that though and news of an extension should also send a message to a side who have lost four on the bounce in all competitions and slipped five points behind Liverpool in the title race.
City face Tottenham at the weekend before travelling to Anfield a week later – before meeting Aston Villa and rivals Manchester United next month – in a crunch run of fixtures.
City’s case with the Premier League over alleged financial impropriety will be finalised in the coming months. Guardiola has publicly declared his trust in the club’s hierarchy throughout investigations into their finances.
The 53-year-old has enjoyed a stunning tenure with City since joining in 2016, winning the Premier League in six of his eight full seasons.
The Spaniard, who previously coached Barcelona and Bayern Munich, also lifted the Champions League in 2023 and has won 18 honours in total.
Guardiola (pictured with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak) has won six Premier League titles
The Spaniard’s tenure at the Etihad will pass a decade in charge with his new contract
There had been significant speculation surrounding his future, but Guardiola’s new deal will take his time with the club past a decade, although he remains the second-longest serving manager in the English game behind Harrogate Town’s Simon Weaver.
The news comes during what has arguably been the most difficult time for Guardiola during his decorated tenure at the Etihad, with City having lost their last four matches – the worst run in the Spaniard’s time at the club.
There had been many who thought Guardiola would leave City at the end of the campaign alongside director of football Begiristain, who is a close friend and someone that brought him to the club eight years ago.
Guardiola had admitted ‘a part of me is leaving’ when quizzed on the Begiristain news last month, but there was a feeling at the time among those at City that he was also not yet ready to close the door on staying.
Guardiola is renowned for leaving his contract talks late, with his previous deal being signed in November 2022, which was just over six months before it expired, so this new deal follows the same pattern.
In fact, Guardiola penned that deal on November 19, with this contract two years later being agreed on exactly the same day.
Speaking recently after the third defeat of the four on the recent run, Guardiola refuted suggestions that he was no longer up for the challenge despite the difficult position his side find themselves in.
Guardiola had been linked with the England job, but Thomas Tuchel was appointed by the FA
News of Guardiola’s extension comes during the most difficult period of his City tenure
‘It is a tough challenge, but I am here,’ Guardiola said. ‘It will be a tough season — we knew that from the start. But this is what it is. I like it, I love it, I want to face it and lift my players and try it.’
He later added: ‘More than ever, I want to lift up the team and return them to their top level.’
With Guardiola’s contract entering its final months, he was linked to the England job before Thomas Tuchel was appointed, with Mail Sport reporting at the time how the Spaniard was viewed as the FA’s dream candidate to be the Three Lions manager for the 2026 World Cup.
However, he is now set to stay at City, with Guardiola’s future having been a topic of discussion at press conferences and among fans in recent months.
Speaking in October, Guardiola had insisted that City have put him under no pressure to decide his future.
‘I want to be really, really convinced that it’s the best for the club,’ he said. ‘I will not delay an action knowing that I am creating a problem for the club.
‘If I feel there is a problem right now, I will take a decision as quickly as possible. But I don’t have that feeling because they understand the reasons that I have.’
The likes of Xabi Alonso and Ruben Amorim had been candidates linked with replacing Guardiola, with the Catalan previously insisting he was happy to offer his input into the next boss.
Many had expected Guardiola to depart at the end of the season with outgoing director of football Txiki Begiristain
City fans crowded funded a banner that read in Catalan: ‘Pep Guardiola, we want you to stay’
He said: ‘I’m pretty sure that the club have an option when Txiki should leave and they have options when Pep will leave.
‘Sooner or later it’s going to happen and they are prepared. If they ask me my opinion, I will give my opinion.
‘But it’s not my job. The decision will be taken for them, not for me. We’ve shared unbelievable moments together. But it has to be the club. It’s the best.
‘So I would say the new sporting director, the moment I’m not here anymore, has to choose his manager.
‘Txiki leaving is a part of me leaving. The architect. He will be missed. He made me incredibly balanced in my job, because I am so energetic when I am going bad, I want to destroy everything.’All the time he said, “see you tomorrow, take a coffee”.’
Meanwhile, back in October, City fans crowdfunded a banner at the Etihad for the home game against Fulham that read: ‘Pep Guardiola, we want you to stay’, in his native Catalan.
Guardiola, who has been credited with transforming English football, is the first manager to win four consecutive top flight titles in England.
In total, he has won 353 of his 490 games in charge of City at an astonishing rate of 72.04 per cent.
City currently sit second in the Premier League after 11 games, five points behind Liverpool.
Meanwhile, they are languishing in 10th in the Champions League League Stage, and return to action on Saturday when they entertain Tottenham.
