Pep Guardiola says he has “one more year” left on his Manchester City contract, pushing back against talk that Saturday’s FA Cup final could be his final trip to Wembley with the club. The 55-year-old was speaking before City face Chelsea at Wembley Stadium at 15:00 BST on Saturday.
Guardiola’s comments landed against the backdrop of a season that could still finish with more silverware. Manchester City won the Carabao Cup by beating Arsenal in March, and they were two points behind Arsenal with two games remaining in the Premier League title race as they prepared for the final. Guardiola has already lifted 19 trophies during his time at City, including six Premier League titles, the Champions League and two FA Cups.
The numbers explain why the latest round of speculation has carried so much weight. Guardiola has now spent 10 years at Manchester City and his haul includes 19 trophies, with the club still chasing what he described as a fight for 20 in that span. Speaking before the final, he said: “Yeah, of course, 19 titles in 10 years is not bad.”
There has been no confirmation from Guardiola or Manchester City about his immediate future, despite Sport hearing talk that he could step down in the summer after a decade in charge. Manchester City, according to the source, would want him to stay for as long as possible. Former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is understood to be among the leading candidates should a change come.
Guardiola, though, made clear he did not view Saturday as a goodbye. When asked if it could be his final Wembley outing, he answered: “no way.” He added: “They know they don't need to wait until I'm leaving, they know I have been fun,” before finishing with: “So 19 titles - fight for 20 in 10 years - it's not bad, honestly.”
The immediate question is not whether Guardiola’s trophy count makes his era one of the most successful in Manchester City’s history. It is whether the club can keep the man city manager in place long enough to turn that 19 into 20, or whether a summer of uncertainty finally brings an end to a decade that has reshaped the team and the expectations around it.
