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For Liverpool supporters, Pep Guardiola’s name has long been synonymous with heartbreak and frustration.
The Spanish tactician has been the primary architect of Manchester City’s dominance over English football, a dominance that has come at the Reds’ expense time and again.
Since arriving at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, Guardiola has collected six Premier League titles, denying Liverpool the championship on multiple occasions by the narrowest of margins.
The 2018-19 season epitomised this torment, when Liverpool amassed a staggering 97 points – only to finish runners-up as City claimed 98.
Similarly, in 2021-22, another agonising title race concluded with City prevailing by a single point, 93 to 92. Without Guardiola, Liverpool would undoubtedly be celebrating several additional league crowns.
Yet there may finally be light at the end of the tunnel for Anfield faithful.
Despite signing a two-year contract extension in November 2024 that keeps him at City until 2027, speculation has emerged that Guardiola could depart even sooner than expected.
According to The Times’ Paul Hirst, insiders close to the situation believe an exit next summer remains a possibility.
In his report, Hirst explained: “A final decision has not been made — and Guardiola has always fulfilled his contracts — but those with knowledge of the situation admit that an exit at the culmination of his tenth season at the helm could be on the cards.”
“They believe that it would be a logical time to leave because the squad is settled, Guardiola has won everything there is to win and ten years is one heck of a shift, particularly for a man whose longest spell with one team before arriving in the UK amounted to four years with Barcelona’s first team.”
“The same people have predicted Guardiola’s exit in the past though, only to see him extend his deal. It is an unpredictable game, anticipating his next move.”
Guardiola’s current deal runs through 2027, meaning the 2025-26 campaign would mark exactly a decade in Manchester.
During that time, he has transformed City into an unstoppable force, winning 18 major trophies and establishing a dynasty that rivals any in English football history.
However, the lure of new challenges and a break from the intensity of management appears to be growing stronger.
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