Pep Guardiola has said Manchester City’s recent struggles contributed to his decision to sign a new two-year contract which will extend his stay as manager to more than a decade.
The 53-year-old would have been out of contract on July 1 next year, but has now agreed a new two-year deal to remain at the Etihad until 2027 – 11 years after he arrived in Manchester.
Although Guardiola’s time at the Etihad Stadium has been littered with trophies, 18 in all, his new contract comes at a time when City have lost four straight games – two in the Premier League, one in the Champions League and one in the Carabao Cup.
And Guardiola made reference to those when spelling out why he wanted to stay.
“Now I cannot leave,” he said in an interview on the club’s website. “Maybe the four defeats were the reason why I felt I cannot leave.”
Guardiola has been repeatedly asked about this future in recent weeks and consistently said he did not know what the answer was. After signing his new deal, he admitted he had been considering leaving until the last few weeks.
“Since the beginning of the season I was thinking a lot in the moment, I will be honest, I thought (the season) should be the last one,” he said.
“But in the same moment the situation comes, the problems we have in the last month, I felt now was not the time to leave. I don’t want to let the club down, I would say.
“I felt the confidence from the chairman (Khaldoon Al Mubarak) and Txiki (Begiristain) and everyone, and I had the feeling I have to do it.”
City have won the Premier League in each of the last four seasons, taking Guardiola’s tally to six. The highlight of his reign to date came last summer, when they completed the Treble by winning the Champions League final against Inter Milan in Istanbul.
“The Treble was a dream come true and the Champions League, especially for this club and of course we make the four in a row which no team has done before,” Guardiola added. “It has been amazing.
“But you have a past, been lessons and mistakes that we have overcome to arrive in the moment where you are more stable and more consistent. We have to recover that because right now we don’t have it and that’s the target we have to do.”
News of Guardiola’s commitment is a major boost to City, who are set to discover whether or not they will be sanctioned after being charged with 115 alleged breaches of Premier League rules, charges they strenuously deny.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak added: “Like every City fan, I am delighted that Pep’s journey with Manchester City will continue; allowing his dedication, passion and innovative thinking to continue to shape the landscape of the game.
“His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our club, and the English game at large.
“This renewal will take Pep beyond a decade of coaching Manchester City and the opportunity to continue to re-write the managerial record books.”
