Pep Guardiola reaffirms Manchester City contract, as Enzo Maresca speculation builds
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola's contract runs until the end of the 2026-27 season.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Pep Guardiola has reiterated his desire to stay on at Manchester City, despite reports that former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has held talks about potentially taking over at the Etihad Stadium.
The long-serving City manager, 54, said in December he intended to see out his contract at City, which runs until the end of the 2026-27 season.
That followed speculation City had identified Maresca – a former assistant of Guardiola’s – as a possible successor to the Spaniard, should he decide to step down at the end of this season.
Maresca has since parted company with Chelsea
Guardiola, who will celebrate the 10th anniversary of his appointment in 2026, said: “The only (thing) I can say is that Chelsea, I think, from my point of view, lose an incredible, incredible manager, incredible person.
“But this (is a) decision from the hierarchy from Chelsea, so (I have) nothing to say.”
When asked if he was surprised by the news, he was philosophical about football’s unpredictable nature, saying: “In football, nothing surprises. Only confirms how lucky I am. I was and I am in the club where I am. My club is extraordinary.”
Guardiola, who has won six English Premier League titles with City, added: “I have a contract. I said a thousand million times. It’s 10 years here, I will leave one day, but I have a contract. I’m happy. I want to fight with my team.
“The hierarchy respect me. That was proved last season with what happened in this club – we didn’t win one game in two, three months. They supported me.
“You want to fire me? My salary is so high. I have one more year’s contract. I like to be here, so we will see, you will see.”
Title-chasing City dropped two points in an entertaining 0-0 draw at Sunderland on Jan 1, which left them four points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal at the halfway stage of the season. The Gunners took on Bournemouth on Jan 3, with the match kicking off after press time.
Guardiola’s men host Chelsea on Jan 4 and the City boss admits he is not sure what to expect.
“We don’t talk much if we don’t know what the opponent’s going to be like, because we don’t know which manager will be sitting (on the bench),” he said.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen, so no concern (about that). Think about yourself, what you have to do. That’s going to help us in two tough games like Chelsea and Brighton.”
Chelsea said on Jan 2 that Under-21s coach Calum McFarlane would take interim charge of the team against City.
Meanwhile, Strasbourg coach Liam Rosenior is not ruling out the possibility of replacing Maresca, with the 41-year-old saying that he could not guarantee he will remain at the French Ligue 1 club until the end of the season.
According to English media reports, Rosenior is the most likely candidate to be the next Chelsea manager.
“I’m calm. There is a lot of noise and speculation,” he told reporters.
“If you pay attention to it as a coach, you go crazy. We are working on the preparation for the Nice match. I’m the coach of Strasbourg and I hope we get a good result.”
Adding fuel to the speculation is the fact that Strasbourg and Chelsea are part of the same multi-club ownership structure, with the French club taken over by Todd Boehly’s consortium BlueCo in 2023.
“We work with the same owner. I have regular contact with the people at Chelsea,” Rosenior added, when asked if there had been contact with Chelsea’s directors in recent days.
“The truth is that I have no control over what happens.
“There are no guarantees in life. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring. I love my job here. I love this club, but I can’t guarantee anything. No one can do that.”
REUTERS, AFP
