Guardiola ‘extremely disappointed’ as Man City leak leaves Neville stunned | Football | Sport
Pep Guardiola and Manchester City will be “extremely disappointed” that news of the Spaniard’s imminent departure has emerged the evening before a match. That is the opinion of Gary Neville, who has admitted he is “surprised” that it leaked on Monday that Guardiola will be leaving City at the end of the campaign. During Arsenal’s Premier League fixture against Burnley, the Daily Mail reported that Guardiola will walk away from City following their final match of the season against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Those reports were later corroborated by other outlets as the news broke less than 24 hours before City travel to face Bournemouth in a pivotal Premier League title race encounter. Sharing his reaction to the news of Guardiola’s departure, Neville, who was on co-commentary duty at the Arsenal match for Sky Sports, said: “I’m surprised that it’s broken right now. Not just because it’s during this match but it’s the night before a Man City game. Something like that is game-changer news.
“I think of being in school and the news of Kenny Dalglish leaving Liverpool, or Sir Alex Ferguson leaving Man Utd and Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool recently.
“They’re just such huge moments in football, and I don’t see it’s news Man City would let get out or would want out. If it is true, Man City will be extremely disappointed that has broken now and so will Pep Guardiola.”
Guardiola steered City to FA Cup glory on Saturday as they edged past Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley. That triumph could well prove to be the final piece of silverware for the Catalan during his trophy-laden decade at the helm.
City retain an outside chance of clinching the Premier League title, but must win their remaining two fixtures against Bournemouth and Villa while hoping Arsenal slip up at Crystal Palace.
Since arriving at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, Guardiola has guided City to six Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four in succession. He also led the Blues to their first and only Champions League victory, alongside three FA Cups, five League Cups and three Community Shields.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss had long been expected to depart City at the end of the campaign, and the club have now begun informing key stakeholders ahead of a formal announcement on Sunday.
Guardiola’s extraordinary contribution to City will be celebrated at an open-top bus parade through Manchester on Monday, alongside his players, the women’s side and the academy teams.
Enzo Maresca, the former Leicester City and Chelsea head coach, has reportedly agreed terms to succeed Guardiola at City. He served as one of Guardiola’s assistants during the 2022/23 season before taking the reins at the Foxes.
