Pep Guardiola latest: Man City boss expected to quit title contenders this summer

Before any exit for Pep Guardiola, he and City will have another chance to win the Premier League but they have a tough task on their hands.

They trail Arsenal by five points with two games to go and must win both of their remaining matches.

Ahead of tonight’s clash with Bournemouth Guardiola said: “We have three days, they have ten days to prepare for the game.

“They are playing to qualify for the Champions League. When you arrive in the last fixtures and the opponent doesn’t play for anything it’s easier but that is not the case.

“It is what it is. We know exactly what we have to do. It’s not complicated, we have to win and then against Aston Villa.

“All we want is to be with our people at the end and try to fight for the title and extend it to Aston Villa. To do that we need to beat Bournemouth.”

Enzo Maresca is the clear frontrunner to replace Pep Guardiola and there are even reports out there that he has already agreed to join the club.

However, City have an apparant shortlist of four names with the other three being:

These all make sense as Iraola and Glasner have impressed at Bournemouth and Crystal Palace and are leaving their respective clubs this summer.

Kompany, meanwhile, is a former Man City captain who played under Guardiola and has done a fine job with Bayern Munich who have won the Bundesliga in each of the last two years.

Naturally when news of a manager’s departure drops speculation in who will replace them begins to rise.

In this case, Enzo Maresca is the favourite to take over at the Etihad Stadium once Guardiola’s exit is confirmed.

Maresca was an assistant to Guardiola during City’s treble winning season of 2022/23 before winning promotion from the Championship with Leicester and claiming the Club World Cup with Chelsea.

Maresca fell out with the Chelsea ownership back in January and was replaced with Liam Rosenior. It was then that rumours began of him being in talks with City to replace Guardiola.

With Guardiola reportedly set to leave Manchester City after a trophy-laden decade at the Etihad, debate is already raging over where he ranks among the Premier League’s managerial greats.

Six league titles, a Champions League and a record-breaking era of dominance have put Guardiola alongside icons such as Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho in the conversation – but who comes out on top? Vote in our poll below:

When news broke of Pep Guardiola’s potential exit yesterday, Arsenal were preparing for a huge match against Burnley.

They won that 1-0 to keep the destination of the Premier League title in their own hands and Mikel Arteta was asked about Guardiola after the match.

He told Sky Sports: “Once he makes that decision then we can talk about it. Before that, nobody should do it.”

When asked if he will be watching City vs Bournemouth tonight in case Andoni Iraola’s men take points off City to hand Arsenal the title he replied: “I don’t know, what we have to do is to prepare for the Crystal Palace match in the best possible way. This is the Premier League.

“We know the quality that Andoni has done and the record that they have right now. Everything is possible.”

Manchester City take on Bournemouth in the Premier League tonight knowing they need to win to keep their hopes of winning the title alive.

When asked about his possible exit from the club and what he is thinking about, Guardiola replied: “Bournemouth, Bournemouth, Bournemouth.”

He explained: “17 games unbeaten. The run is unbelievable. What they have done with losing three players in the back four from last season that had success and then going 17 games unbeaten is unbelievable.

“The only chance we have is to win so we have to break that run otherwise it will be over. Always they have been difficult. Since last years, they have been tough, tough games.

“Last season in the Premier League it was one of the worst defeats and performances. At the same time, in the quarter-final last season we played really, really good. We will see which face we do tomorrow.”

The 55-year-old has captured 17 major trophies, and 20 in all, since taking over Man City in 2016, including six Premier League titles, which could still become seven if they can come out on top of an intense title race with Arsenal.

Guardiola also masterminded City’s breakthrough in Europe to claim a first Champions League in 2023, defeating Inter Milan in Istanbul and securing a third European crown as a manager following two triumphs during his legendary stint in charge of Barcelona.

His latest trophy came last weekend, as Antoine Semenyo’s flicked finish ensured City beat Chelsea 1-0 in the FA Cup final, a 19th piece of silverware in Guardiola’s time at the Etihad and a third FA Cup.

The Spaniard’s exit is set to come after Sunday’s Premier League finale against Aston Villa and will bring an end to one of the most trophy-laden reigns in English football history, following 10 years of dominance in charge at the Etihad Stadium.

For now, Man City maintain Guardiola has a contract for next season and are hopeful he will remain as manager.

Let’s start off with the obvious…

As things stand Pep Guardiola remains Manchester City’s manager and has one year left to run on his current contract.

He has fielded plenty of questions from journalists in recent weeks about his possible exit and in each instance insisted that he still had a year left at City.

No official word has dropped about his departure from the club but reports claim that City are preparing for his exit and that an announcement will come this week.

Man City take on Bournemouth in the Premier League tonight so it is likely that any acknowledgement of Guardiola’s leaving will come after that match.

It’s a glum day for Manchester City fans and, well, football fans in general as Pep Guardiola looks set to leave the club at the end of the current season.

Guardiola still has one year remaining on his current deal with City but reports and rumours suggest the club are preparing for his imminent departure.

An announcement of his exit is expected at some point this week ahead of the Premier League finale this Sunday with City also in action tonight as they travel to Bournemouth for their penultimate fixture of the campaign.

We’ll have all the latest news and updates on Guardiola’s future throughout the day so please stick around to find out.