The signs are there, but Pep's departure would mark a shift in Premier League eras
This week could herald a significant shift in Premier League history — not just because Arsenal could tonight win their first league title in decades, but because the most dominant manager since Sir Alex Ferguson, and one of the most influential coaches of the modern era, appears likely to walk off into the sunset.
Yes, there is a strong chance that Pep Guardiola will announce his departure from Manchester City this week. Yet there’s almost no justice you can do to how big his influence has been — and therefore how much City will miss him.
The signs have been there for a while. The biggest one? The manager of a rival club left his job earlier this season after twice holding talks with City (in October and December) about replacing Pep. Amid all the wild goings-on at Chelsea and the speed at which the Premier League moves, that story may have slipped under the radar for how significant it truly was.
Chelsea’s coach was in talks with City about succeeding Pep — and left the job he had, with a club playing Champions League football, because of it. That’s a major clue.
Add in that some key Pep lieutenants are also confirmed as leaving the club this summer. Add in that Pep actually decided to leave before changing his mind and extending his contract last time. Add in his notable refusal to say definitively that he is staying (just that he has a contract). You’d feel a little silly doubting that this could well be the end.
With that context, it wasn’t surprising that Pep’s departure was the first thought that leapt into people’s minds last Thursday, when a leaked picture emerged of an elaborate goodbye video being filmed at the Etihad. It featured a camera winding backwards through a number of trophies on plinths, with someone in a distinctly Pep outfit and appearance walking through them.
The club never formally denied it, but briefed local journalists that it was for Bernardo Silva — another key figure from the Pep era who is confirmed to be departing this summer.
But I still go back to the Maresca story. City were calling Pep’s former assistant — the manager of a Premier League rival — last autumn to plan Guardiola’s succession. We know this to be true. Of course, that doesn’t necessarily mean it would be this summer (Guardiola’s contract still has 12 months left). But the Italian walked away from a club playing Champions League football.
Now he is sitting around waiting, declining interest from top Italian clubs, per FootBiz sources. Italian reports state that he has already agreed his contract at the Etihad — it’s just a case of when he takes over.
Whatever may happen with the 130 charges increasingly looks as if it will not entail any serious sporting consequences. But in the absurdly unlikely event that City had to spend a season outside the Premier League or even just outside European competition, Maresca has shown he’s willing to be patient in return for one of the biggest jobs in European football.
Pep’s evasiveness and other signs point to the club wanting to announce the move.
The expectation at FootBiz and from some at Man City is of Guardiola leaving this summer. With the title potentially on the line, timing was uncertain — but if Arsenal win the league tonight, there’s no reason to hold it any longer.
While it is rare that a club can be as prepared as this for the departure of such a significant figure, and so the transition should notionally be pretty smooth, the reality is that Manchester City will never be the same again.
The Hugo Viana and Enzo Maresca era may well be a much-needed evolution from the days of the Txiki-Pep alliance. But the volume of trophies will be hard to match, and the influence on the wider sport impossible to top.
This is all now just a case of when, not if. And there are plenty of signs pointing to this week potentially being the end of a Premier League era.
(After the above was written, the Daily Mail’s Oliver Holt reported Guardiola would leave City this summer. David Ornstein’s report soon followed.)
Pep will end his reign with a cup double this season, and tickets for their season finale at home to Aston Villa just became significantly more in-demand.
