Charles Jackson
After leading Manchester City to a fourth consecutive English league title on Sunday, Pep Guardiola warned he is “closer to leaving than staying” as the final 12 months of his contract approach.
Guardiola’s current terms at City expire in 2025 and the 53-year-old has made clear his plans to lead the champions for a ninth year. However, this could be the second most successful manager in the history of the English top flight.
“The reality is that I am closer to leaving than staying,” Guardiola said. “We’ve spoken to the club and I feel like I want to stay now. I’ll stay next season and during the season we’ll talk. But after eight or nine years, we’ll see.”
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Sunday’s 3-1 victory over West Ham ensured City held off Arsenal’s onslaught to claim a sixth league title under Guardiola and a 15th trophy in total. Remarkably, the victory on the final day also propelled this team away from some of the greatest in England’s history. Huddersfield Town in the 1920s, Arsenal in the 1930s, Liverpool in the 1980s and Manchester United on two occasions under Sir Alex Ferguson were all teams that won three in a row. No club has ever turned a triple into a quad.
Guardiola noted that this opportunity provided him with extra motivation after last year’s treble campaign, but then hinted that he might not have any world left to conquer.
Asked if he thought he had completed English football, he said: “I had that season last year, then [winning the Champions League to complete the treble in] Istanbul. I said, ‘It’s over, there’s nothing left.’ But I have a contract, I’m still here.
“At times I get a little tired, but at times I love it and we are here winning games, looking good with new players. [how] no one had done four in a row [so] Why don’t we try? And now I feel like it’s done, so what’s next? FA Cup [Final against Manchester United on Saturday].
“Gary Lineker told me that no team has played in back-to-back Premier Leagues and FA Cups. What I want is for my players to enjoy two or three days and then we have two days to prepare for the final, but not now. I don’t know exactly what the motivation is for doing this because it’s hard to find it when everything is done.
“But knowing the players and myself, I know when we’re out there we’re going to say why shouldn’t we win today? .”
It should be noted that Guardiola has publicly and privately toyed with the possibility of leaving City – by far the longest role in a managerial career that has encompassed equally successful spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich – only to extend himself. These hints come ahead of what could be a significant 12 months for the champions, who are due to face a hearing in the autumn into the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League. The city denies all allegations. There is also a squad to be remodeled, with names like Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker and John Stones reaching their 30s.
