sources have revealed that City are optimistic that Guardiola will extend his contract for another season, with the club targeting an agreement by the end of next month – which is likely to be a one-year extension.
Pep Guardiola’s managerial career – list of honours by trophy wins
Competition
Times won
Seasons won
Premier League
6
17/18, 18/19, 20/21, 21/22, 22/23, 23/24
La Liga
3
08/09, 09/10, 10/11
Bundesliga
3
13/14, 14/15, 15/16
Champions League
3
08/09, 10/11
FA Cup
2
18/19, 22/23
League Cup
5
17/18, 18/19, 19/20, 20/21
The Spaniard has been coy about his future so far in public, but behind the scenes, City chiefs have been working tirelessly to secure his deal for another 12 months in a bid to bring continued success to the club.
Any consequences of the charges for the alleged 115 breaches of Financial Fair Play Rules are not likely to influence Guardiola’s decision; and with the former Barcelona manager receiving private assurances that the reigning champions are not guilty, any extension would almost certainly allow him a ‘break clause’, should City be relegated from the top-flight.
Guardiola is not concerned about the departure of Txiki Begiristain at the end of the season, and he knows that he was leaving as early as last year – whilst fully being on board with new appointment, Hugo Viana, who is arriving from Sporting Lisbon.
The latter will officially start in the summer, though he has a transition period planned early next year to work alongside the departing Begiristain – and the Portuguese director is hopeful that Guardiola will have put pen to paper.
It’s easy to see why Guardiola is wanted by City chiefs as long as possible. 484 games for the Cityzens have resulted in 351 wins, 70 draws and just 63 losses in that time, rewarding them with six Premier League titles, two FA Cup trophies, four League Cup winners’ medals and, of course, that all elusive Champions League that new Saudi owners had been chasing for 15 years.
They are the favourites to win the Premier League for a fifth consecutive season, remaining the only club in the top-flight without a loss in the current campaign – currently posing a club-record 31 games without defeat in the Premier League which they will look to continue in the coming months.
If Guardiola was to leave, then City would be scrambling for an alternative manager to replace him – and with his ideals and playing style already deeply embedded into their DNA, their next move could be vital if they are to continue their decade-long dominance that the Barcelona legend has landed them.
