It remains to be seen what the summer will bring, with the 55-year-old - who demands nothing but the best from himself and those around him - said to be mulling over his options. There have been reports of City drawing up contingency plans - which may feature ex-Chelsea boss and Guardiola’s former right-hand man Enzo Maresca.
Tangible success in 2026 could help to keep Guardiola’s fire burning and bring him back for at least one more campaign with City. He will be allowed to dictate what happens next, having won 18 trophies with the Blues.
An update from the Manchester Evening News reads: “Guardiola's future won't be decided by what the team results are unless there was a spectacular implosion. He has too much credit in the bank and so will be able to walk away when he chooses to. It's worth pointing out that as difficult as January has been for City they are still bang in the hunt in all four competitions and they definitely could not say that last winter.
“Some commentators even had Guardiola leaving this week and replaced by Enzo Maresca before the Wolves match, which proves again how much noise there is around the manager's future and how little is actually known. There is still a wideheld belief from many that he will leave this summer, although as with previous noise you wonder if some of that is people from other clubs hoping rather than genuinely believing. The manager has never broken a contract in his career and his current deal runs to 2027.”
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