Pep Guardiola has revealed that he is likely to leave Manchester City when his contract expires in 2023.
There were murmurs that the 2020/21 campaign was to be Pep’s last at the Etihad, but the former Barcelona mastermind signed a two-year extension a few months back to put an end to the speculation.
Still, a two-year extension was hardly a huge show of commitment to the Premier League champions, especially when you consider that, were he to see it out, it’d take him up to seven years of service at Man City.
Pep has now revealed that he is unlikely to extend his future with the club beyond that point, suggesting that he could be up for – first of all, a rest – but a new challenge after seven years with City.
Pep Guardiola: “After seven years at #ManCity, I think I’ll have a break, stop for a while, see what we’ve done, review inspirations – and, in this process, I’d like to coach a national team, South America, European, play a Copa America, I want this experience.” [via @ESPNBrasil]
— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) August 25, 2021
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BenchWarmers’ view
The Premier League is blessed with some of the finest managers in the world, so Pep departing would undoubtedly be a blow.
However, Man City have had several years of seemingly uninterrupted dominance in English football, it would be interesting to see how they faired under a new manager.
Sure, they’d still have their owner’s seemingly unlimited funds to spend in the transfer market, but they’d be losing arguably the best manager on the planet.
English football needs a Man City reboot, and by the sound of things, 2023 is the date to mark in your calendar.