Pep Guardiola agrees new Man City deal with special option inserted in contract | Football | Sport
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has reportedly agreed a new one-year contract to remain at the Etihad Stadium. The deal will include an option for the Spaniard to stay at the club for an additional 12 months, an extension that would keep him in Manchester until the summer of 2027.
Guardiola was appointed City boss in 2016 and has led the club to six Premier League titles, as well as Champions League and Club World Cup success.
Under his guidance, the north west giants have also been crowned FA Cup winners twice and have lifted the Carabao Cup trophy on four occasions.
Guardiola took the helm in Manchester following the departure of Manuel Pellegrini and won his first 10 games in charge. He had to wait until his second campaign to win a trophy, however, as he struggled to get to grips with the demands of Premier League football during his first winter in England.
The 53-year-old has revolutionised English football with his insistence on playing out from the back, a style that has been replicated by a host of teams throughout the football pyramid.
And City, who will welcome Hugo Viana to the Etihad Stadium as their new director of football next year in the place of outgoing chief Txiki Begiristain, will be confident of more success under the serial winner.
Speculation over Guardiola’s future has been rife in recent months, with his current deal expiring next summer. But, according to The Athletic, he has committed his future to his current employers by agreeing the new deal.
City have struggled during the early stages of this campaign and have already fallen five points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool after dropping points in four of their 11 top-flight matches.
Meanwhile, the Citizens have won just two of their opening four games in the Champions League and were thrashed 4-1 by Sporting in their last European encounter before the international break. And Guardiola’s side were also dumped out of the Carabao Cup by Tottenham last month.
At the end of last season, Guardiola indicated he was “closer to leaving than staying” at City. But he clarified those comments last month as he explained: “I have been eight years at Man City and I will not be here for eight more years, that is why [I said] I am closer to leave than stay.
“But I didn’t say I am leaving. Never ever. I would say. When I am leaving I will say I am leaving. But I didn’t say.”
And during a recent interview with Sky Sports he vowed: “I’m happy here. When I started as a manager I would anticipate. Now I don’t, I just want to win tomorrow. I live more day-by-day.”
