Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said he has not made a decision on his future and that “anything” could happen beyond this season.
Guardiola is in the final year of his contract with City, having been at the club since 2016 to make it the longest spell of his managerial career to date.
It was reported earlier this month that the decision on Guardiola’s departure at the end of his contract was made at the end of last season. City’s response to this has been to try to persuade him otherwise and are rumored to be “considering” extending again.
Guardiola has been considered as a potential England manager, with the FA yet to make a permanent plan following Gareth Southgate’s resignation after Euro 2024. The timing, with the Spaniard potentially available from the summer of 2025, a year before the next Cup of the World, and Lee Carsley holding down the fort in the intervening months as an interim, is convenient.
But, in an appearance on Italian television during the international break, Guardiola he denied that anything has been decided regarding his future.
“It’s not true, I haven’t made up my mind yet,” he said of leaving City in 2025, per what time is it. “And it’s not even true that I will be the next manager of England. If I had decided I would say so… I don’t know either, anything can happen.”
The potential need for succession planning in the city will come into play at some point. During the weekend it was reported that the club I want a definitive answer from Guardiola at the end of the calendar year, which would give them time to scout the market for the best possible replacement. This apparent deadline is only 11 weeks away.
On that note, Liverpool had several months to secure Arne Slot as Jurgen Klopp’s successor and that has done wonders for the resurgent Reds so far.
Change will definitely come to the Eithad Stadium in 2025, regardless of Guardiola’s intentions. The departure of long-serving director of football Txiki Begiristain has been confirmed as he moves towards retirement, with the former Newcastle United midfielder Hugo Viana already named as his successor next season after impressing in a similar role in recent years with Portugal’s Sporting CP.
