Football: Pep Guardiola set to leave Man City ⁰

Pep Guardiola is set to call time on his career at Manchester City this weekend, with former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca expected to be confirmed as his successor.

Rumours have been swirling for several months suggesting Guardiola is set to end his record-breaking reign as City manager, but the Spaniard and club officials were keen to keep the decision under wraps until their final game of the season against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Yet news broke this evening that City are preparing to confirm the exit of their most successful manager of all time, even though he has one year left on his contract.

Guardiola confirmed that he was contemplating his exit from City before he signed a new deal in November 2024, but he was persuaded to stay on to lead a squad rebuild that has led to double trophy success in this season’s Carabao Cup and FA Cup.

Now it has been revealed that City chiefs were aware of Guardiola’s intention to step away at the end of this season for some time and have been making plans for a new era.

Maresca has long been viewed as a probable successor, with the coach who guided Chelsea to the FIFA Club World Cup last summer tipped to return to City, where he worked with the club’s junior sides before being promoted to assistant coach to Guardiola in 2022.

Guardiola is set to leave City with a legacy that will see him placed alongside the all-time great managers in the history of the English game, with City’s 1-0 win in last Saturday’s FA Cup final against Chelsea bringing his haul of major trophies to 17 in his decade at the club.

Manchester City declined to comment on the fresh report, first revealed by the Daily Mail.

Source: Irish Independent