Pep Guardiola To Leave Man City At End Of Season — Reports

After a first trophyless season for seven years in the 2024/25 campaign, a rejuvenated City have bounced back.

Victory over Chelsea in Saturday’s FA Cup final completed a domestic cup double and they could still usurp Arsenal for a seventh league title in nine years.

Guardiola arrived in England as already one of Europe’s most decorated coaches.

His four-year spell at boyhood club Barcelona between 2008 and 2012 captured admirers across the globe, winning two Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles.

He added three more league titles in three seasons at Bayern Munich.

A similarly short spell was expected when City lured him to the Premier League.

But his influence has transformed the English game at all levels over the past 10 years.

Backed by the deep pockets of Abu Dhabi royalty, City have stepped out of the shadow of local rivals Manchester United to become the dominant force in England.

Guardiola’s brand of passing football has been copied from grassroots through to the elite level.

Even City’s competitors have turned to his disciples to catch up.

Arsenal, managed by Guardiola’s former assistant Mikel Arteta, are on the brink of their first league title in 22 years.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has said his coaching philosophy was shaped by watching the City boss’ Barcelona team, while new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso moved to Bayern in the final years of his playing career to gain the experience of woring under Guardiola.

The timing of Guardiola’s exit comes with the outcome of an investigation into more than 100 alleged breaches by City of financial regulations still to be released.

First charged by the Premier League in February 2023, an independent commission hearing concluded in December 2024 with the case hanging over City’s achievements on the pitch ever since.

AFP