Image Credits: Imago Images
For years, the question has loomed over the Etihad: when will Pep Guardiola finally walk away from Manchester City?
Season after season, headlines have teased a farewell that never materialised. In 2024, Guardiola himself admitted he was “closer to leaving than staying”, and even after penning a new deal running until 2027, he has repeatedly reminded journalists that “I won’t be here forever.”
The speculation has been relentless – and for Liverpool supporters who have suffered at his hands, perhaps not relentless enough.
Guardiola has been the single biggest obstacle standing between Liverpool and sustained Premier League dominance. In 2018/19, City edged out Jurgen Klopp’s Reds on the final day of the season, finishing on a staggering 98 points to Liverpool’s 97 – one of the closest and highest-quality title races in English football history.
Liverpool’s campaign was near-perfect, suffering just one defeat all season, and still it wasn’t enough.
Then came 2021/22, another brutal reminder of City’s quality under Guardiola. Liverpool battled back from 14 points behind in January to push City all the way to the final day, only to fall short by a solitary point as City claimed 93 points. Twice heartbroken, twice denied, and Guardiola’s fingerprints were all over it.
But today’s Manchester City is not one of old, and the Spaniard has endured back-to-back underwhelming seasons when compared to his lofty standards.
And now, according to French outlet L’Équipe, the curtain may finally be falling.
The respected publication reports that Guardiola is expected to leave Manchester City at the end of the 2025/26 season, and critically, that his successor is already known – former Chelsea and ex-City assistant boss Enzo Maresca.
The Italian has been heavily linked with the Etihad for months. Maresca, who departed Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Day after just 18 months in charge, previously coached City’s U21 side and has long maintained supporters in the upper management at the club.
It was even suggested that at the time, Maresca’s sacking was in part due to his flirtation with Manchester City as well as Juventus.
Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola could look to transition into national team management. The Spain job feels like destiny for the former Barcelona manager, and he was even approached by England before Thomas Tuchel took the reins.
But it looks like the man who denied the Reds two Premier League titles in the most agonising fashion possible will be out of the way at the end of the season.
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