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Pep Guardiola's Manchester City runs until 2027 and succession planning will be underway at City
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Next summer will mark ten years since Pep Guardiola took over at Manchester City. And while City have lost their aura of invincibility that the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach had installed in his side during their run of four consecutive Premier League titles and their 2023 treble, how to replace him will be never be far from the forefront of the City hierarchy's thoughts. Guardiola signed a new two-year contract extension last November, which will keep him at the Etihad until 2027, but what happens next?
Plenty of names have been and gone when it comes to the issue of Guardiola's successor, with the club have the clout and financial muscle to attract the game's biggest names. But the latest manager to be linked with the club is a relatively newcomer to the dugout - but will be a very familiar name to English football fans.
Since landing the Como job, initially on an interim basis in November 2023 and then permanently the following August, Cesc Fabregas has been building a reputation as one of the game's best young managers. The former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder won promotion to Serie A with Como at the end of the 2023/24 season and last season led the team to a tenth-place finish in the Italian top flight, their best return since 1987. The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week. Now, a report from Italian outlet Corriere Della Sera claims that the 38-year-old will not manage another club in Italy, despite previous links to Inter Milan. Instead, they claim that either 'Barcelona or Manchester City' will be the next port of call for the former Spain international. Fabregas - who Four Four Two ranked at no. 8 in a list of the greatest-ever Premier League midfielders - has been called a 'snake charmer' and likened to Guardiola for his work dragging Como out of the second tier and into contenders for European qualification this season.
While Fabregas would surely love a chance to manage City, however, Four Four Two believes that Barcelona could be more likely. Hansi Flick has been said to be struggling with the pressure of coaching the Catalan giants this season, which could bring a fresh impetus to Camp Nou in the form of a former hero – while Guardiola has no plans to abandon City right now, and could well sign an extension to his deal For more than a decade, Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor. Mewis has had stints at Mirror Football and Leeds Live among others and worked at Four Four Two throughout Euro 2024, reporting on the tournament. In addition to his journalist work, Mewis is also the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team. Now working as a digital marketing coordinator at Harrogate Town, too, Mewis counts some of his best career moments as being in the iconic Spygate press conference under Marcelo Bielsa and seeing his beloved Leeds lift the Championship trophy during lockdown. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
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