Manchester City confident Pep Guardiola will stay long term - report

Published on: 18 December 2017

Pep Guardiola revels in Kevin De Bruyne's instrumental role in Manchester City's dominant win over Tottenham.

Manchester City are confident manager Pep Guardiola will stay at the club beyond his initial three-year contract, sources tell Press Association Sport.

City are planning talks with the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss next summer and have high hopes of concluding a deal.

Guardiola, 46, has overseen an outstanding start to the current season, his second at the club. City are 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League after winning their last 16 games and are through to the Champions League last 16.

Guardiola said last month that he was happy at City and his contract, which expires in 2019, was "not a big issue.''

Sources say City are equally relaxed about the situation and are confident of securing Guardiola's services for a longer term before his current deal enters its final year.

Man City have high hopes of signing Pep Guardiola to a new deal.

The club are highly impressed by Guardiola's performance this season which, they believe, has been moulded by his experiences last term.

City failed to mount a serious title challenge in Guardiola's much-hyped first season in England and finished an underwhelming third. They also exited the Champions League in the first knockout round.

Since then the squad has been reshaped and, if Guardiola underestimated the challenge last term, that has only made him doubly determined to succeed this time.

Guardiola was one of the most sought-after coaches in the game when he arrived at City. His successes included three La Liga titles and two Champions League victories with Barca and three Bundesliga crowns at Bayern.

City first tried to lure him to the Etihad Stadium in 2012, as he took a year off after leaving Barca, but he eventually opted for Bayern.

His decision to leave Bayern after three years and then to initially only commit to City for a similar period raised questions over whether Guardiola would be willing to stay long term.

But City are impressed by how Guardiola has immersed himself in all aspects of the club as well as his attention to to detail, which have potentially laid foundations for sustained success. These would remain in place whether Guardiola stayed or not, but they are convinced this indicates his commitment.

There is also no concern that he may decide to take time out and repeat the sabbatical year he took after leaving Barcelona. They feel many of the circumstances that led to that decision were unique to the Catalan club, where there are political as well as sporting pressures.

Comments

Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.

Source: espn.co.uk

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Learn more