Guardiola on his departure: "Let me talk to my chairman"
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Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 20.05.26. | 12:39
The Spanish manager has yet to reveal anything about his future following his team’s slip-up and Arsenal’s title triumph
Pep Guardiola is expected to inform Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak of his decision to step down before the weekend.
According to Daily Mail Sport, the Spaniard has decided to bring his remarkable 10-year spell at the Etihad Stadium to an end once the current season concludes, closing a hugely successful chapter in English football.
City’s hierarchy have been preparing for this possibility for some time, and former assistant coach Enzo Maresca is among the leading candidates to replace Guardiola if an agreement can be reached with Chelsea over compensation.
Speaking about his future, Guardiola made it clear that Al Mubarak will be the first person to hear his final decision.
"The first person I have to talk to is my chairman," Guardiola said. "We’ll talk in the next days. Always I said that when you are fighting for the titles, if you decide (to announce an exit) then from the first moment the players don’t follow you anymore. I always talked to my chairman: 'Pep what are you going to do?' And I always said to let the season go and we’ll talk. He deserves to be first, I deserve to talk to him first about what we are going to do. Let me talk to my chairman."
🚨🗣️ Pep Guardiola on his future at Manchester City: "I could say that I have one more year of contract."
— The Touchline | 𝐓 (@TouchlineX) May 19, 2026
"And with the conversations I've had for many years, always from my experience when you announce during the competition is a bad, BAD result."
"The first person I have to… pic.twitter.com/3ELKlGvJ9v
The announcement comes shortly after City surrendered the Premier League crown to Arsenal, whose title was confirmed following City’s 1-1 draw away to Bournemouth on Tuesday. Despite missing out on the championship, Guardiola praised former assistant Mikel Arteta and Arsenal for ending their long wait for a league title.
The 55-year-old also pointed to injuries and a demanding fixture schedule as key factors behind City’s inability to keep up with the Gunners.
"Since January things were really good," Guardiola added. "We had many injuries and many things we could not control. I learnt a lot this season with what you have to do to win with circumstances we could not control."