Pep Guardiola ‘to carry on for one more season’ at Man City
Pep Guardiola could remain at Manchester City in a bid to end his tenure with another Premier League title.
That is according to ex-Everton, Aston Villa, and Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, as Guardiola could consider his Man City future at the end of the season.
Whilst Man City are not out of the title race this season, their 2-2 draw at Tottenham after Arsenal’s 4-0 win at Leeds meant the Gunners extended their lead to six points at the top of the Premier League table.
Guardiola has been Man City manager for a decade, but there is increasing doubt over whether the 55-year-old will stay put for another season at the Etihad.
Expert in ‘no doubt’ over Pep Guardiola’s future
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes Man City have a “succession plan in place” for when Guardiola decides to leave.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks Guardiola is a “fighter” and will want to stay on until his contract expires in 2027.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I know that there will be a succession plan in place. I’ve got no doubt about that.
“We’ve talked about different names already, about potentially, you know, [Enzo] Maresca and people like that coming in, et cetera. So my feeling is still that he’s going to carry on for one more season. At the bottom of it all, he’s still that fighter, and he wants to go out at the top. And I think that he’s going to keep on going this season.
“Look, Bodo/Glimt, they had a bad day at the office, there’s no doubt. Minus 15 on a plastic pitch, I get it. I mean, you know, a lot of the players didn’t fancy it, but still, no great excuse, but still I can understand having a bad day every so often.
“And I’m sure they’ll still be able to do quite well within the parameters of European competition. For Pep, I just got this feeling that he is such a fighter that he’s going to want to go out at the top and I think he might just have it in him to wait for one last season. But nothing would surprise me. It’s hard to say, but that’s my feeling is he’s going to carry on for one more year.”
Man City target club legend to replace Guardiola
Whilst former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has been named as a contender for the Man City job, Vincent Kompany could also be on the club’s shortlist when Guardiola departs.
Kompany is Man City’s number one target to replace Guardiola, with the 39-year-old currently manager of Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
The former Man City captain could be tempted to return to the club where he won four Premier League titles across an 11-year spell.