Ex-Barcelona boss installed as new favourite for Man City job amid Pep Guardiola exit update
Luis Enrique is the bookmakers’ leading candidate to succeed Pep Guardiola at Man City as uncertainty looms around his future at the club.
Man City‘s failure to win a major trophy for the first time in eight years last season led to many questions around Guardiola‘s future in charge of the club ahead of the new campaign.
The Catalan boss is one of the most successful managers in football history, with 12 league titles to his name across his post-playing career, but some cracks have formed at the Etihad Stadium in recent times.
Football Insider revealed in September that Man City’s poor start to the new season had left Guardiola under pressure, but they clawed their way back into the title race after some strong form throughout December.
Things have taken a turn for the worse once more over the last few days, though, after crushing defeats to Man United and Bodo/Glimt, with a new contender now named as the favourite to succeed Guardiola if he does leave City soon.
Luis Enrique is the new favourite to be the next permanent Man City manager
City fans slammed Guardiola after their Tuesday defeat to Norwegian side Bodo, with their chances of finishing in the top eight of the Champions League league stage now under real threat.
Sources have told Football Insider that Guardiola could quit as City boss soon, despite his contract running until 2027, with long-time friend and compatriot Enrique now the frontrunner to succeed him at the Etihad.
Enrique has taken charge of Barcelona and the Spanish national team in the past, while he has held his current position at PSG since 2023.
He led the Parisians to a maiden Champions League triumph last season, but may well be tempted to leave soon and try his hand in English football for the first time.
One of the UK’s leading bookmakers believe that he could succeed Guardiola at City, after he was installed as the 2/1 favourite to be their next permanent manager.
What has Guardiola said about Enrique in the past?
The pair were teammates at Barcelona between 1996 and 2001, and also played together for the Spanish national team before becoming successful managers in their own right.
They have faced each other in the dugout five times, the last of which was PSG’s 4-2 win over City in January 2025 on their way to the Champions League title.
Guardiola spoke to the media about his admiration for his friend’s career before that clash, saying: “I love everything about Luis Enrique and the way he plays. One of the best teams in the world, in all history, was Barcelona playing with a false nine.
“Luis knows me better than anyone. The same style. We know that they criticise us, and if not, we should do something else. We accept it and move on.
“It’s a friendship forever. We may disagree on things, but the intention is always good. He is a friend who is always there.”
Guardiola may well recommend Enrique to Man City’s chiefs if he is to leave either midway through this season or in the summer, but he could take some real convincing to leave PSG regardless.