Multiple reports on Monday suggested Pep Guardiola will end his trophy-laden decade as Manchester City boss this weekend.
The 55-year-old has won 20 trophies, including six Premier League titles and City’s maiden Champions League crown, since arriving in England in 2016.
He could add one more to his tally if City win their final two matches of the season against Bournemouth and Aston Villa and Arsenal fail to beat Crystal Palace in the final round of Premier League fixtures on Sunday.
Guardiola will leave after Villa’s trip to the Etihad, according to The Daily Mail and The Athletic. There has been no comment from the club on the speculation.
But the club has organised a parade through Manchester on Monday to celebrate their League Cup and FA Cup wins this season, which could be a farewell to Guardiola.
Former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, who used to be on Pep Guardiola’s staff at City, is reportedly set to take charge next season.
Guardiola has a year left on his contract, but there has been speculation for months he would leave at the end of the season.
A rejuvenated city bounced back in the 2024/25 campaign, a first trophyless season for seven years.
A victory over Chelsea in Saturday’s FA Cup final completed a domestic cup double, and they could still snatch the Premier League title from Arsenal for a seventh league title in nine years.
Guardiola was already one of Europe’s most decorated coaches when he came to England. In four years at his boyhood club Barcelona from 2008 to 2012, he won admirers around the world, claiming two Champions Leagues and three La Liga titles.
In three seasons at Bayern Munich, he added three more league titles.
City took him to the Premier League, expecting a similar short spell. But his impact has changed the English game at all levels over the past 10 years.
With the backing of the deep pockets of Abu Dhabi royalty, Manchester City have emerged from the shadow of local rivals Manchester United to become the dominant force in England.
Guardiola’s passing style of football has been cloned from the grassroots up to the elite level. Even City’s rivals have attempted to match him by hunting down his followers.
Arsenal, managed by Mikel Arteta, once an assistant to Guardiola, are close to their first league title in 22 years.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot said his coaching philosophy was influenced by watching the City boss’s Barcelona team, while new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso moved to Bayern in the final years of his playing career to gain the experience of working under Guardiola.
Guardiola’s departure coincides with the release of the findings of an investigation into more than 100 alleged breaches by City of financial regulations.
City were charged by the Premier League in February 2023, with an independent commission hearing concluding in December 2024, and the case has loomed over their on-field exploits ever since.
Read More: Pakistan steady after early blows in tough chase against Shan and Babar
