Last season’s Treble laurels-winning manager Pep Guardiola signed a contract extension at Manchester City to 2025 in December but has been hinting about his future beyond that.
Guardiola is keeping an open mind insofar as his options are concerned and is open to either extending his tenure at Manchester City into a 10th season or leaving the Etihad before his current contract expires.
The Argentine maestro had earlier confirmed a two-year extension to his City contract in December and taking his deal until the end of the 2024/25 season, effectively dismissing spurious doubts over his future. Immediately after securing his immediate future, Guardiola valiantly led City to their third successive Premier League title, the FA Cup, and a debut Champions League success, achieving the highly-venerated Treble success.
Guardiola has now set his sets to defend City’s treble – plus add the UEFA Super Cup, Carabao Cup and Club World Cup to their collection. Ahead of the season opener vs Arsenal in the Community Shield – which one could boldly venture to quip that this would but a mere trinket to the Spaniard although he would himself not openly admit this – Guardiola confirmed he had no thoughts about resigning on a high after winning the Champions League, and even suggested that he could stay beyond his 2025 contract.
“I signed a contract for another two years because I feel comfortable – and nothing has changed whether we won (the treble) or didn’t win,” he said.
“I am happy and the people are happy, the board and the hierarchy especially, because they decide in the end which manager is going to lead this group of players.
“If they are satisfied, I am still satisfied. I want to defend what we won and maybe at the end of the season, if I am tired, we will talk with the club – or maybe extend more.”
Guardiola admits the pressure has now eased up considerably on him after having secured the Champions League that had long eluded him in his tenure at City, adding that two trophies on offer at the start of the season will help refocus minds after the high of last season.
“Of course, it was a good summer because of the fact we did it,” he said. “In the first game of the Champions League they will no longer ask me if we have to win it and this kind of stuff.
“When the competition starts we work a lot. Yesterday it was Arsenal, Arsenal, Arsenal. It’s the competition that puts you in this position.
“In the summer time you relax while other people work for the club to find what we need. But the moment the competition is here, the warnings are there and the players are there. It’s not a big effort.”