Guardiola says Manchester City 'need new energy' as he confirms summer exit
Pep Guardiola confirmed at a Thursday news conference that he will leave Manchester City at the end of the season. After nine years at the Etihad, the Catalan coach said the club and squad 'need new energy. I'm grateful for everything, but it's time to move on'.
Guardiola joined City from Bayern Munich in the summer of 2016. He went on to deliver the famous 100-point title in 2017-18, four consecutive Premier League crowns from 2020-21, the historic 2022-23 treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, the 2023 Club World Cup and a total of 18 major trophies. No English manager had previously won four straight league titles at the same club.
This season was different. City ended the campaign as Arsenal were crowned champions for the first time in 22 years, lost 4-2 at home to Liverpool, and only secured Champions League qualification on the final day in a result hinging on Aston Villa. Rodri's season-long knee injury and the expiry of Kevin De Bruyne's contract were the most visible symptoms of the 'tiredness' Guardiola referenced.
Club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak described Guardiola as 'the most important figure in this club's history' in a statement, while chief executive Ferran Soriano said discussions about a successor, alongside director of football Hugo Viana, were 'at a very advanced stage'.
Reports from BBC's Simon Stone and ESPN's Rob Dawson identify Chelsea's departing Enzo Maresca as the leading candidate. Maresca won Premier League 2 with City's EDS U23 side in 2023-24, then promoted Leicester City as Championship winners before moving to Chelsea. The 45-year-old Italian is favoured by sporting management because of his familiarity with Guardiola's possession-based methodology.
The most immediate question after Guardiola is squad renewal. Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan are out of contract at the end of next season, and a new generation around Erling Haaland and Phil Foden is expected to emerge. Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) leave the club a narrow investment margin, and the final ruling on UEFA's 115-charge investigation is expected in the coming months.
'It's impossible to forget the family I found here. Khaldoon, Ferran, Txiki, Manel Estiarte; my players, from goalkeeping coaches to physios — I'm grateful to everyone', Guardiola said, paying special tribute to his long-time assistant Estiarte, who will also leave City and follow him wherever he goes next.
There is no confirmed answer yet on what comes next for Guardiola. The 54-year-old said he 'will rest for a while', and opened a door to international football: 'I want to coach Spain one day. That's certain. But I don't know when.' Spanish Football Federation president Rafael Louzan confirmed last month that Luis de la Fuente will remain in charge through the 2026 World Cup.
The statistics frame the scale of the Guardiola era at City: 472 matches in charge with 339 wins, 70 draws and 63 defeats — a 71.8 percent win rate — and an average of 2.33 goals per game. He won the league in six of his nine seasons, and the 2022-23 treble was the first by an English club since Manchester United's 1998-99.
The FA Cup final at Wembley on 18 May will be Guardiola's final competitive match in charge. How the stands react is uncertain; what is clear is that for supporters and rivals alike, an era is closing at the Etihad before another manager's seat is prepared in Manchester this autumn.