Pep Guardiola is all set to part ways with Manchester City at the end of this season, and Enzo Maresca is expected to replace him.
Pep Guardiola’s future has been a massive talking point for some time now. He was on the verge of leaving the club at the end of last season with his contract running out, but the 54-year-old ended up signing a new two-year deal, which runs until the summer of 2027.
Pep Guardiola’s time at Manchester City to end soon?
While he would still have a year left on his deal at the end of this season, a report from Fichajes suggests Guardiola has decided to end his decade-long stay at the Manchester-based club. The former Barcelona manager’s historic stint at the club is all set to come to an end in six months.
Pep Guardiola took charge at Manchester City back in 2016, and he has transformed them into one of the most dominant forces in Europe. While they did have a rare poor campaign last time out, City seem to have bounced back this time around.
During his time at the Premier League club, Guardiola has guided them to six league titles and has even guided them to their first-ever Champions League title. Given what the 54-year-old has done for the club, City would absolutely love to have him around for another season.
However, there is growing acceptance within the club that Pep Guardiola won’t continue beyond this season. He will leave behind a legacy that will certainly be very difficult to match, but City do need to figure out who takes his place on their bench.
Maresca to replace Guardiola?
Enzo Maresca seems to be the leading candidate to replace Pep Guardiola. The Italian tactician was Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City back in the day and then went on to do wonders for Leicester City and Chelsea. Having been sacked by the Blues at the start of the new year, appointing him certainly won’t be that big a challenge.
The former Chelsea manager is well aware of how things work at the Manchester-based club, and he seems to be an ideal profile to take over from the Spanish manager, as his style of football is quite similar to Guardiola’s.