Pep Guardiola signs new two-year contract with Manchester City
By Jamie Barton, CNN
(CNN) — Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola signed a new two-year contract extension on Thursday, extending his club tenure to over a decade.
“Manchester City means so much to me,” Guardiola said in a Thursday club statement.
“This is my ninth season here; we have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club.
The news comes as a huge boost to the Citizens following rumors that the Spaniard would depart alongside director of football Txiki Begiristain – whose decision to leave was announced in October – upon the expiry of his contract at the end of this season.
Begiristain worked with Guardiola at Barcelona and was key to his appointment at City, having joined the club in 2012.
City acknowledged the rumors surrounding Guardiola’s future in a social media video post announcing a new extension deal had been struck.
An off-camera pundit says, “Guardiola’s future – that is going to be a huge soap opera,” to which the manager retorts, “I’m not moving. I can assure you.”
Guardiola has won a remarkable 18 trophies – including a historic treble of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in 2023 – during his tenure, overseeing the club’s transition from wealthy challenger to part of soccer’s elite.
One of the most successful managers of all time, Guardiola’s time at City was preceded by a four-year stint with Barça, where he won 14 trophies, and three years at Bayern Munich, where he won seven.
City has endured an uncharacteristically difficult start to the 2024-25 season having lost Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri to a serious knee ligament injury in September.
The Citizens have lost their last four games – the first time that has happened since the club was bought by the Abu Dhabi United Group in 2008.
However, the team remains in second place in the Premier League table, five points behind leader Liverpool, who it will play on December 1.
The 53-year-old sounds just as driven for success as he was when he signed for City in 2016.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much,” he said in a statement.
“Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
City is next in action against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
The-CNN-Wire
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