Pep Guardiola has signed a new one-year contract at Manchester City with an option of a further 12 months in a deal that could stretch his supremely successful tenure to 2025.
The manager’s terms were due to expire in June and it is understood he agreed the renewal during this domestic break for the Qatar World Cup. He had been tight-lipped when asked in the lead-up to the tournament whether he could discuss a fresh deal then.
Guardiola, who will receive a rise on his reported €23m-a-year salary, has led City to four Premier League titles, one FA Cup, four League Cups and one Champions League final, which was lost to Chelsea in May of last year.
Guardiola’s renewed commitment is a fillip to the club as they continue the process of renewing the squad and adding fresh competition. Kevin De Bruyne will be 32 in June and although Guardiola said this season there was no sign that his top midfielder’s powers were waning, he accepts that replacing the Belgian will be hard.
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One candidate is Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham, who is 19 and impressed in England’s 6-2 opening group game win over Iran at the World Cup. Guardiola is an admirer. “The quality and skills, everyone knows about it, but it’s not just about that,” he has said.
“It’s about the whole package. He’s really good. He’s already in the national team playing with them at 19. That’s quite impressive. When he was [as young as] 17, it wasn’t just the quality, it was about he was shouting, leading, kicking, and going to the referee.
“I thought that this guy was something special in terms of that mentality. Now, at 19 years old, he is already one of the captains of [Dortmund] and, when that happens at 19, it is quite impressive.”
