Premier League verdict set to hand Man City MORE Premier League titles

Jacque Talbot

• Updated: 17 Oct 2024 11:07 BST
• 3 min read

Pep Guardiola may stay at Manchester City longer should the club be found guilty of the 115 charges they face, according to reports.

The Spaniard is out of contract at the Etihad next summer and he has so far remained coy about whether he would be willing to sign an extension.

There is an idea that if Man City are found guilty and face severe punishment he will leave when his deal expires in 2025. But a report from The Athletic has put paid to that idea.

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A recent report states: "Sources who know Pep Guardiola believe if Man City were found guilty and severely punished via the 115 charges, it would make it more likely he would sign a new contract; partly out of defiance and not leaving a club he has come to love in a difficult spot."

The club's director of football and close friend of Guardiola, Txiki Begiristain, is set to move on at the end of the season and the club confirmed that Hugo Viana, Sporting CP's director, will replace him.

The Athletic states that Sporting head coach Ruben Amorim and Xabi Alonso, of Bayer Leverkusen, are also options to take over Guardiola.

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The outlet goes on to state that: "the primary object is and always will be to get Guardiola to stay for as long as possible, and there have been indications over the past two or three days that might be what happens after all."

Guardiola's legacy

Guardiola is the club's greatest-ever manager and sits only behind Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson in terms of titles won. The Scotsman led the Old Trafford club to 13 titles during his tenure while Guardiola has six. Like Ferguson, he is the only coach presiding over an English club to win the treble, doing so the season before last.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano recently said in his Caught Offside column that Guardiola was even touted for the England job before it went to former Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel.

More interesting than that, though, was his belief that any exit of Begiristain would not have an impact on the ultimate decision that Guardiola makes.

He wrote: "Pep Guardiola was the dream candidate for the England manager job, but Manchester City are pushing to keep their manager, and the departure of Txiki Begiristain will not influence his future. Man City are really insisting and they feel confident of persuading Guardiola to stay.”