Man City Director of Football Hugo Viana does have Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany on his shortlist of potential replacements for Pep Guardiola, according to reports.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has been widely tipped to be among the candidates to succeed Guardiola in the dugout at the Etihad.
However, TEAMtalk claim Viana has added Kompany’s name along with Maresca’s. For a long time, it is believed the original plan was to hire Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta following Guardiola’s departure.
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That is no longer thought to be feasible, so Kompany and Maresca are now seen as the leading contenders.
Will Guardiola leave Man City next summer?
The Athletic‘s David Ornstein says there is a growing sense that this is the Catalan’s “last season at City”, but we have heard that kind of talk before.
It should be pointed out that Guardiola assesses his future on a season-by-season basis, so there is not expected to be a definitive decision until May or June.
The 54-year-old’s contract does still have 18 months left to run, so it is also possible that he will decide to see out his current deal.
What has Guardiola said on the matter?
In his pre-match press conference ahead of the West Ham game, the Man City head coach pretty much said what he always says when it comes to his future. He isn’t looking too far ahead:
“I am here. What’s going to happen, who knows? Even if I have 10-year contract or six months, football changes a lot. Now I am focusing on West Ham and then golf after a few days with my dad and that is all.”
In contrast, it is Viana’s job to look beyond the next six months, and it looks like Kompany and Maresca are managers he rates highly.
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