Manchester City is confident the club will succeed after Josep Guardiola leaves – because they were winning trophies before he arrived
Pep Guardiola could leave at the end of the season (Image: Nigel French/Allstar, Getty Images)
It has been said and written that Manchester City fear for life after Pep Guardiola. But nothing could be further from the truth.
President Khaldoon Al Mubarak wants Guardiola to manage the team for another 10 years. And who can blame him, given the incredible success the Spaniard has overseen? However, after countless conversations with Guardiola, it has become clear that the serial winner will be looking for a new challenge elsewhere in the not-too-distant future.
Guardiola has 18 months left on his current contract, but he has no intention of extending it. Guardiola is thought to make a decision in the summer whether to remain at the Etihad until June 2027, but one thing is certain: The beginning of the end has begun.
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And when the grand finale arrives, Mr. Al Mubarak will be well prepared to deal with what happens next.
Club sources insist Al Mubarak is happy with both the present and the future. He wants to build on the confidence that the club had been successful before Guardiola came on the scene.
The long-term strategy and infrastructure were all in place before Guardiola. He simply added significant polish to an already shining gem. The additions City have made over the past 12 months mean the foundations are now in place for Guardiola’s replacement.
One of the issues Khaldoon has been keen to address is keeping the club afloat from the vicissitudes of past rival teams following the departure of iconic managers. He can just look around the city and find a way not to.
Manchester United have not come close to winning a Premier League or Champions League title since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. Countless managers have left. United lost their identity and became addicted to an obsession with living in the past. An attitude that hurts the future.
Arsenal have suffered a similar fate, albeit to a lesser extent. Since manager Arsene Wenger left in 2018, the former serial winners have won just one piece of silverware.
Khaldun wants to prove himself smart enough to avoid falling into the trap of believing greatness can be imitated by someone else. All that succession planning is well and good, but history has shown that special times under managers like Fergie and Guardiola remain special for the individuals who achieved them.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak and Pep Guardiola celebrate winning the 2024 title (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
No one would expect Guardiola’s successor to win the treble, or four league titles, on this spin. Soccer doesn’t work like that.
Mr Khaldun will seek Mr Guardiola’s opinion on who should be chosen as Mr Guardiola’s successor. Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Vincent Kompany will also be part of the conversation. It’s going to be a noisy phone call. But Etihad’s rulers are unafraid to create one and will embrace it.
Meanwhile, Guardiola continues to act as if he is preparing for the next chapter of his life. He became more vocal and outspoken on controversial topics.
And he could even put himself in the surprising scenario of riding off into the sunset before the club knows its fate over 115 alleged breaches of Premier League spending rules.
If that happens, Guardiola may not have to face the music even if City are found guilty. That millstone may weigh heavily on the next manager.
But whatever happens, it’s likely that Khaldoon and his Abu Dhabi ownership group have a plan in place to deal with it.
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