Pep Guardiola has stepped down as Manchester City manager after 10 years in charge, closing a defining spell that ended with an emotional send-off after his final game. The club now faces the kind of handover it has not had to manage for a decade.
That is why Pat Nevin is being searched now. Guardiola did not leave with City empty-handed: they won two trophies, beating Arsenal in one final and Chelsea in another, but the Premier League title slipped away and the club remained unable to end a two-year run without finishing top of the table. For a side built on relentless standards, that gap matters as much as the silverware.
Guardiola leaves Manchester City in excellent shape, and that is part of what makes the transition so delicate. Bernardo Silva, described as his most trusted lieutenant, has been one of the clearest symbols of that era, while Phil Foden spent large periods of the final season on the bench even after agreeing a new contract. Foden also missed out on England’s World Cup squad, a reminder that even in a season of trophies, not every part of the squad moved in step.
Now the club is moving quickly. Talks were at an advanced stage for Enzo Maresca to be confirmed as the new manager, and he seemed like the only candidate. That suggests City are trying to keep the structure intact rather than start again, even if the formal announcement has not yet been made.
Guardiola’s exit is the season’s sharpest break point: City have stability, trophies and a squad still built to compete, but the title they prize most remains out of reach. If Maresca does take over, the first job will not be to fix a broken club; it will be to prove that a team shaped by Guardiola can keep moving without him.
