Jamie Carragher has given his verdict on Pep Guardiola leaving Man City ahead of the Premier League clash between the Etihad club and Liverpool this weekend
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 02: Former Liverpool player and current Sky Sports Pundit Jamie Carragher looks on, while presenting prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Etihad Stadium on May 02, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 02: Former Liverpool player and current Sky Sports Pundit Jamie Carragher looks on, while presenting prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City FC and Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at Etihad Stadium on May 02, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher believes Pep Guardiola has dropped the biggest indication yet that he will leave Manchester City at the end of the season. Guardiola is nearing a decade at the helm at the Etihad Stadium, and he is currently preparing his side to face the Reds in the Premier League this weekend.
Arne Slot's side find themselves sixth in the table, eight points behind City, who are second in the overall standings. Guardiola's current contract with City extends until the summer of 2027, meaning he still has nearly 18 months remaining on the agreement he signed back in November 2024.
Despite this, there have been ongoing rumours about Guardiola's future, with the speculation increasing after reports earlier in the season linked Enzo Maresca as his potential successor at the Etihad, reports the Manchester Evening News.
And Carragher supporters are currently watching his "last dance" in the Premier League as his time at City looks set to end at the end of the season.
“Pep Guardiola is the greatest football coach of all time, and we should cherish every remaining minute of his Premier League career,” Carragher wrote in The Telegraph.
“It feels like we are watching Guardiola’s last dance in England. The clues are mounting up, pointing to the idea that he will end his Manchester City reign at the end of this season, with succession plans being formulated and his club’s recent transfer activity smacking of his hierarchy doing everything in its power to ensure he leaves with another trophy.
"If an announcement is imminent before May, Guardiola’s peerless contribution to elevating Premier League standards must and will be acknowledged. He is the No 1.”
Carragher also outlined why Guardiola and City might be conscious of how Jurgen Klopp announced his Liverpool exit two years ago, saying: “Such a tribute will seem premature if Guardiola stays at City for another season, but the reluctance to confirm or deny his plans naturally creates suspicion a change is imminent.
“If he has decided to go, it is a dilemma knowing how to handle such a transition. Jurgen Klopp issued a mid-season statement when leaving Liverpool, which caused a debate as to whether the emotional impact was a help or hindrance in the last few months.”
Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola and Liverpool boss Arne Slot greet each other at the Etihad Stadium
Arne Slot and Pep Guardiola will go head-to-head in the Premier League this weekend(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Before he went on: “Like his great Premier League rival Klopp, there is a sense in the last few seasons of Guardiola feeling a responsibility to leave behind a reconstructed side for a successor rather than having his replacement start again.”
Guardiola was quizzed about his future at the Etihad earlier in the season amid rumours that Maresca could be his successor, with the City manager referring to the duration left on his contract to dismiss the rumours.
"The last three or four years, every time someone asks me that question… Sooner or later, when I'm 75 or 76, I will quit City," Guardiola said back in December.
"I understand the question, but I have 18 months left and I am so delighted. That question happens every single season and I'm okay.
"There are no discussions – end of the subject. I will not be here eternal here, none of us will be forever in this world but there are no discussions. What is going to happen will happen and the club has to be prepared for everything. The club has to be prepared but that subject is not on the table right now.
"I'm here. What's going to happen who knows but if I have 10 years on my contract or six months, football changes a lot. Now I'm focused on West Ham and go for a few days with my dad and that's all, come back for Nottingham and Sunderland and Brighton and Chelsea."