Pep Guardiola avoided TNT Sports' question about his future after Man City defeated Chelsea last weekend to lift the FA Cup trophy. Even before the match at Wembley, he also received questions about his future, but the veteran strategist refused to answer all.
It is very difficult to predict whether Pep will stay or leave at the end of this season when his contract is only valid until the summer of 2027. After the FA Cup final ended, Pep said Man City players are not allowed to drink, even just a glass of beer to celebrate.
In the immediate future, Man City still has 2 matches in the Premier League, against Bournemouth and Aston Villa. They need to win both of these matches to continue to nurture hopes of chasing Arsenal in the finish line of the season. Just need Arsenal to stumble 1 match, the opportunity to reach glory may come to Man City in the final moments.
The FA Cup final just passed was the time Man City said goodbye to Bernardo Silva and John Stones but there was no announcement about Pep Guardiola's future. The club's owner - billionaire Khaldoon Al Mubarak has not yet received any offers from Pep about ending the contract early. However, who knows, somewhere at the year-end celebration next Monday, a farewell will be said?
In every recent interview about his future, Pep said: "I still have a contract with the club". However, fans are starting to question what Pep is really thinking in his head. If he is sure to stay to fight next season, why doesn't Pep say: "Next season I will still be with Man City"?
On the side of the leaders of the Etihad stadium, no one really knows whether Pep will leave or stay, but finding a replacement is necessary. They feel that if not in the summer of 2026, this will come in the summer of 2027 when both sides expire their contracts. That is why rumors about Enzo Maresca have surfaced recently. If Maresca is really chosen to succeed him, the former Chelsea captain can happily wait another year if Pep does not want to retire this summer. Taking over a powerful empire like Man City is an honor for any coach, Maresca is willing to wait for that.
Another reason to believe that Man City's targeting of Enzo Maresca is well-founded is that this team does not dispel rumors related to the Italian coach. If Pep commits to staying, The Citizens will find ways to correct or deny information related to Maresca, thereby "protecting" Pep Guardiola in the media.
Besides, the fact that Man City is still in a tense race with Arsenal in the Premier League may be the reason why Pep has not officially announced. This midweek, Man City will have a match predicted to be extremely difficult at Bournemouth's Vitality stadium. If the race with Arsenal ends in the middle of the week, an announcement may be made immediately afterwards for Man City players to play the final match against Aston Villa with the most comfortable attitude, as a show of gratitude to their legendary coach.
Besides the media's speculations about Pep possibly leaving Man City after this season, there are also opinions that the 55-year-old coach can completely stay to continue fighting. Last season was very difficult for Man City when the force was renewed a lot, so the playing style was not stable. However, this season, young stars such as Nico O'Reilly, Ryan Cherki, Abdukodir Khusanov have matured and become club pillars. Besides stars who have played stably like Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku or Gianluigi Donnarumma, just having a few new names in the summer transfer window of 2026, Pep will have a full squad to fight in the next season.
Two years ago, Pep Guardiola had intended to leave Man City at the end of the 2024-2025 season with Football Director Txiki Begiristain. At that time, the English Football Association contacted Pep about replacing Gareth Southgate but did not receive the desired response. In the summer of 2025, Pep looked quite tired when he and the whole team moved to the US to attend the FIFA Club World Cup. However, Pep still tried to revive Man City once again. At least by now, he is still successful with 2 domestic cups this season.
Pep once said that if he leaves Man City, he may enjoy a 15-year break. Many people close to the 55-year-old coach at the Etihad stadium shared that although he always thinks about resting early, Pep is addicted to work and always wants to contribute.
After winning the FA Cup last weekend, Bernardo Silva said Man City still has ambitions to win the Premier League this season. If they can do that, this will be the 2nd time the Etihad Stadium team has completed the domestic treble, something unprecedented for any team in the Premier League era.
Pep Guardiola will not be attached to Man City for life, it will be time for him to say goodbye to this team. However, no matter what the farewell is this summer, next summer, and with what achievements, he still deserves to be the greatest captain in club history.
Pep is the one who elevated Man City, just like how Sir Alex Ferguson once turned Man United into the most powerful force in English football.
