Josep Guardiola will leave Manchester City after Sunday’s final Premier League game of the season, sources have told Sky Sports News.
However, there has been no confirmation from City, with club officials insisting that Guardiola will continue as manager under a contract until 2027.
Guardiola has kept the football world speculating about his future in recent days. He repeatedly insisted that he was happy with the club and reiterated that he still had one year left on his contract.
However, sources have told Sky Sports News that preparations are underway for Guardiola to leave the club, with Enzo Maresca the most likely successor.
Since taking over in February 2016, Guardiola, 55, has won everything club football has to offer, transforming and reshaping the landscape of the Premier League as we know it.
In his ten years at Man City, he led the club to an astonishing 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2023.
Maresca is the most likely candidate to succeed him. The Italian, who was Guardiola’s assistant when City won the Champions League, has been out of work since leaving Chelsea in January. Guardiola previously called Maresca “one of the best managers in the world”.
How Sky Sports experts reacted to Guardiola’s coverage on Monday Night Football
Gary Neville from Sky Sports:
“I’m surprised it’s broken now, not just during this game (Arsenal vs. Burnley), but the night before the Man City game. Things like that are game-changing news.”
“I remember when I was at school and recently the news about Kenny Dalglish leaving Liverpool, Sir Alex Ferguson leaving Man United, Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool.
“Those are huge moments in football and I don’t think they’re the kind of news that Man City would release or want to release.
“If that’s true, Man City will be very disappointed in this breakup and so will Pep Guardiola.”
Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports:
“I don’t think Man City or Josep Guardiola can do anything about the timing. They have to inform the club. I’ve heard that Maresca is the next player and he should have information about this.”
“He’s going to have a staff member that he’s going to have to talk to. The closer we get to the end of the season, the more people will know. We’ll find out eventually.
“This didn’t happen overnight as you might imagine. It took the last few weeks, maybe months. There were too many people involved for it to come to light in the end.”
