Pep Guardiola signs Manchester City contract extension to end uncertainty over future with Premier League champions
By Leon Imber
Updated 21/11/2024 at 21:47 GMT
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Pep Guardiola has signed a contract extension, as the Spaniard is set to continue his reign at Manchester City. Guardiola had been facing an uncertain future at the Etihad Stadium with his previous contract running until the end of the 2024/25 season, but is now set to be in the hot seat for at least another two years and continue his trophy-laden tenure.
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Manchester City have confirmed that Pep Guardiola has signed a contract extension, keeping him in charge at the Etihad Stadium for at least another two years.
Guardiola, whose contract was set to expire at the end of the 2024/25 season, has signed a two-year extension.
"Manchester City means so much to me," Guardiola said. "This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club. Â
"That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.
"Thank you to everyone for continuing to trust and support me – The owner, The chairman Khaldoon [Al Mubarak], Ferran [Soriano], Txiki [Begiristain], the players and of course the fans… everyone connected to Manchester City. It has always been an honour, a pleasure and a privilege to be here. Â
"I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much. Â
"Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus."
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The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager joined City in 2016 and has led the club to six Premier League titles, as well as a historic treble in 2022/23.
City are currently enduring their worst run under Guardiola, having suffered four straight defeats and slipped five points behind Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
The English champions fell to narrow defeats against Tottenham Hotspur and Bournemouth before a 4-1 hammering at Sporting CP in the UEFA Champions League.
Brighton & Hove Albion extended City's unwanted string of defeats to four, coming from a goal behind to secure a 2-1 victory at Amex Stadium before the international break.
But the club's hierarchy have backed Guardiola with a contract extension that could prolong his tenure to over a decade.
Guardiola had been linked with a move away from the club after eight successful years, with City's sporting director Txiki Begiristain leaving for pastures new at the end of the season.
But Guardiola is now set to stay alongside the incoming Hugo Viana, who will fill the void left by Begiristain.
City have claimed four successive English top-flight titles but their chances of a fifth have taken a hit following their poor run of form.
Guardiola has bemoaned the absence of Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, who was ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ACL injury.
The champions will look to recover from their recent torrid run as they return from the international break to face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
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'i could not leave now' - guardiola
Guardiola admitted that he "could not leave now" when asked why he decided to stay with City for another two years, with the recent four losses in a row lingering on his mind.
The two-year contract extension will see his tenure in Manchester pass a decade, longer than his spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich combined.
"I felt I could not leave now, simple as that," Guardiola explained. "Maybe the four defeats was the reason why, and now I cannot leave. I felt the club still want me, and that's why I signed."
Instead of the current form pushing him closer to the exit door, he and his coaching staff are emboldened to rectify the situation and return to their dominant ways.
"Every time I sign the contract, it’s for the last two and after I re-sign the contract I say okay the last two and still we are here," he revealed.
"So honestly I think myself, my staff and friends, I think we deserve to be here. I am sorry to say.
"I am not arrogant to say, but it’s the truth. I think we deserve after four defeats in a row to bounce back and try to turn the situation.
"In that moment, in the period, I had the feeling you have to take the right decisions for the future and I want to take it."
With an astonishing total of 18 trophies won during his reign at City, Guardiola mentioned that the team's immense success, and chance for more, was key in his decision to re-sign.
"The treble was a dream come true and the Champions League, especially for this club, and of course we make the four in a row, which no team has done before. It has been amazing.
"But you have a past, lessons and mistakes that we have overcome to arrive in the moment where you are more stable and more consistent.
"We have to recover that because right now we don’t have it and that’s the target we have to do."
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