Pep Guardiola could leave Manchester City after the 2025/26 season. The coach has already informed the club of his desire for a successor.
Pep Guardiola, who has been Manchester City coach since 2016, could end his successful era with the English champions at the end of the 2025/26 season.
The Spaniard, who led City to six Premier League titles and a UEFA Champions League, signed a two-year deal in November 2024 but reports suggest he plans to step down after this season.
Guardiola’s possible successors
According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Guardiola has already informed Manchester City that he wants a new top coach to replace him. The 60-year-old coach is also said to have made recommendations to the club, with Enzo Maresca, who currently coaches Chelsea, being brought into play as one of the candidates.
The worst 48 hours of his career
Maresca has a close connection with Manchester City, having worked for the club in various roles between 2020 and 2023 – first as a youth coach, then as an assistant in the first team, before moving to Leicester City in 2023 and later Chelsea.
Maresca won the Conference League and the Club World Cup with Chelsea last season. Despite his success, the Italian recently expressed dissatisfaction after declaring in a press conference after a 2-0 win against Everton that he had experienced the worst 48 hours of his career at Stamford Bridge.
Guardiola has already taken off his wedding ring
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Other possible candidates
However, the report from The Athletic highlights that Maresca is not the only contender to replace Guardiola. Another prominent name that keeps coming up in conversations is former City captain and current Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany. Guardiola himself has already indicated in 2023 that he can well imagine that Kompany will one day take over City as head coach.
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Kompany, who played 360 games for City during his playing days and won twelve major titles as captain, is currently under contract with Bayern and won the Bundesliga with the club in 2024. However, it is unclear whether the Belgian, who is tied to Bayern until 2029, would be willing to leave the German record champions to continue his career at City. Kompany recently emphasized that his focus is 100% on Bayern and he has no thoughts about other teams.
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Guardiola’s future
Guardiola himself commented on his possible successor by saying that he would make the decision about his future after the season. However, a final farewell after the 2025/26 season is looking increasingly likely as the coach may want to seek a new challenge after nine years at City.
