Manchester City ended their season on a high note. They end up winning the Premier League for the fourth time in a row. Their failure in the UCL campaign did not affect them at all.
Pep Guardiola has won 17 trophies with Manchester City to date. Even though Manchester City crashed out of Champions League against Real Madrid this did not affect their season very much. Manchester City also missed out on FA cup after losing 2-1 to fellow rivals Manchester United. However Pep Guardiola stole the spotlight for some other reasons. Following their win we got a Pep Guardiola’s announcement that may shake up Manchester City summer plans.
According to Pep Guardiola he may end up leaving the Manchester club after next season. This season will mark Pep Guardiola’s ninth season at the club. Manchester City’s executives are worried that Pep Guardiola’s departure may cause a turmoil in the squad. If the manager leaves it could be a difficult task for the club to keep hold of majority of its players.
Moreover the summer window could also be affected in case the manager decides to leave this summer. Success last season led to the departures of three senior Manchester City players, with Ilkay Gundogan, Riyad Mahrez and Aymeric Laporte all ending long-term stays in east Manchester to move elsewhere.
Kevin De Bruyne’s future following Pep Guardiola’s announcement
Manchester City star player Kevin De Bruyne will be out of contract in 2025. There is growing uncertainty surrounding a further seven first-team players ahead of the transfer window. Manchester City’s record £100 million signing Jack Grealish has been linked with an exit after a limited number of recent appearances. He is finding it difficult to find his form recently and facing competition from Jeremy Doku.
Bernardo Silva has a £50 million release clause within his contract with clubs like FC Barcelona interested in the player. Goalkeeping pair Ederson and Stefan Ortega are both facing an uncertain future in the club. There are speculation surrounding Kyle Walker, John Stones and Matheus Nunes as well. Matheus Nunes moves to the Etihad Stadium last summer for £53 million but struggled to find game time.
Manchester City may also end up struggling to keep their star players like Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Rodri in case another big club approaches them. Talking about signings Manchester City have been linked with a potential £100 million move for Newcastle United’s Bruno Guimarães. They are also interest in Lucas Paquetá from West Ham amid the controversies. However the club already have their hands full currently. With Manchester City set to compete in the inaugural 32-team FIFA Club World Cup next summer in the United States.
The expanded competition will take place across June and July next year, with Man City having qualified for the tournament after winning UEFA Champions League in June 2023, with a famous win over Inter Milan in Istanbul. It will be a difficult situation for new manager due to significantly limited time before the start of the 2025/26 season.
Manager options for Manchester City
Following Pep Guardiola’s announcement Manchester City should start their search for a new manager. It is lucky for them that the market is full of competent managers currently. Julian Nagelsmann, Xabi Alonso and Roberto De Zerbi are all potential replacements for Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium. They can also go for more proven options like Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho, Thomas Tuchel if possible despite their histories in the Premier League. However Manchester City will try their best to extend the contract of Pep Guardiola. It will be interesting to see what the future brings for the reigning English champions.
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