Pep Guardiola and Manchester City will be “deeply disappointed” by the news of the Spaniard’s imminent departure on the eve of the match. That’s the opinion of Gary Neville, who admitted on Monday that he was “surprised” by the leak that Guardiola would be leaving City at the end of the season. During Arsenal’s Premier League match against Burnley, the Daily Mail reported that Guardiola will leave City after Sunday’s final game of the season against Aston Villa.
These reports were later corroborated by other media outlets, and the news was published less than 24 hours before City traveled to face Bournemouth in a crucial match for the Premier League title. Neville, who was co-commentary for Sky Sports’ game against Arsenal, shared his reaction to the news of Guardiola’s departure, saying: “I’m surprised that things are breaking down now, not just during this game, but on the eve of the game against Man City. Something like that is game-changing news.”
“I remember when I was at school and recently the news about Kenny Dalglish leaving Liverpool, Sir Alex Ferguson leaving Man United, Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool.
“Those are huge moments in football and I don’t think it’s the kind of news that Man City would release or want to release. If that were true, Man City would be very disappointed that it’s broken now and so would Pep Guardiola.”
Guardiola guided City to FA Cup glory with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday. The victory could be the final piece of silverware in a trophy-filled decade in charge for the Catalan.
City still have a chance to win the Premier League but must win their remaining two games against Bournemouth and Villa, with the hope that Arsenal escape against Crystal Palace.
Since arriving at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, Guardiola has guided City to six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented fourth in a row. He also led the Blues to their first and only Champions League title, as well as three FA Cups, five League Cups and three Community Shields.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager had long been expected to leave City at the end of this season, but the club have begun notifying key stakeholders ahead of Sunday’s official announcement.
Guardiola’s extraordinary contribution to City will be celebrated on Monday with an open-top bus parade around Manchester with players, women’s teams and academy teams.
Former Leicester City and Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has reportedly agreed terms at City to replace Guardiola. He served as one of Guardiola’s assistants during the 2022/23 season before taking over the Foxes.
