Although Pep Guardiola’s contract with Manchester City runs until 2027, he may step down at the peak of his career as early as next year. The Spanish manager renewed his contract until 2027 last year, and at that time, he vowed to lead the team back into the title race. Despite losing two of their first seven Premier League games this season, Man City has now formed a three-way battle for the title with Liverpool and Arsenal, once again showing momentum in the championship race. Currently, they are fifth in the standings, only 3 points behind league leaders Arsenal.
If they win the title again this season, it will be the seventh Premier League trophy Guardiola has claimed in his nine years in charge. Stepping down at this point would be the perfect timing for the legendary manager—especially after setting a Premier League record that surpasses Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger. “Finding the right time to step down at the peak has always been the hardest thing, especially for an outstanding coach like him,” a source said. “Jürgen Klopp had a chance to chase a quadruple in his final season but failed to do so; as for Wenger, he probably stayed for about four years too long—he shouldn’t have stayed that long, only because he wanted to bid farewell in a glorious way. Sir Alex Ferguson, however, won the title again after signing Robin van Persie and ended his career perfectly—I’m sure this is the farewell Guardiola aspires to.”
Discussions about Guardiola’s future stemmed from remarks by his former colleague. Lanchart, who worked as his performance analyst for 18 years—accompanying Guardiola at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Man City until the end of last season when he left the Etihad Stadium—publicly called on Guardiola to pursue a “new challenge”: “It depends on his personal decision, but I think the cycle of any project should be limited to five or six years. As a friend, I advise him to embark on a new chapter—after all, he still has a long way to go in his coaching career. Over the years, we have felt a sense of home at Man City, a sense of belonging that neither Barcelona nor Bayern Munich ever gave us.”
