Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said ‘part of me is leaving’ after the news sporting director Txiki Begiristain is quitting the club in 2025.
Begiristain will depart his role at the end of the season and be replaced by Sporting Lisbon’s Hugo Viana.
His exit could have a huge impact on Guardiola’s future as manager at the Premier League champions as the duo are close friends.
City are keen to tie him down to a new deal at the Etihad Stadium but there is a growing sense that he could leave in the near future as his contract expires next summer.
When speaking ahead of City’s Premier League trip to Wolves about Begiristain’s pending exit, he said: “Part of me is leaving.
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“A friend of mine, an architect who created one of the best teams at Barcelona and here. Personally he will be missed a lot. He made me balanced in this job.
“I’m so energetic and when we lose I want to destroy everything and he always said ‘take a moment’. We have to move on, and the club will move on.”
Guardiola was then asked about whether or not he was contacted by the FA over the England job before they appointed Thomas Tuchel.
The Spaniard had been a speculated candidate amid his contract situation at City, but he said: “It doesn’t matter.
“The club have options when Pep will leave. Sooner or later it will happen and they have to prepare. It will not be a surprise.
“I want to be really convinced it is the best for the club. I will not delay any action thinking it will be a problem for the club.”
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City goalkeeper Ederson believes that the club may already have their replacement for Guardiola ‘in mind’ ahead of his contract expiry.
Sporting boss Ruben Amorim, who has been previously linked with Chelsea and Liverpool, has also emerged as a potential candidate.
Should Guardiola call time on his City spell next year, it would bring an end to one of the most dominant periods in English football.
After huge success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the 53-year-old joined the club in 2016 and won his Premier League two years later.
It would be the first of an incredible six titles City have won during his tenure so far, with four of them coming in the last four seasons.
Guardiola has also delivered two FA Cups and three Carabao Cups, as well as the club’s first ever Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup titles in 2023.
An astonishing seventh Premier League triumph could come his way this season as City sit second in the table after seven games.
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They remain unbeaten and just one point behind leaders Liverpool, with the previous campaign’s fellow challengers Arsenal only falling short of them on goal difference.
City winning the crown once again could mark a fairytale end to Guardiola’s career in Manchester, or it may encourage him to stay and help deliver even more success.
