‘I thought this season should be my last’: Pep Guardiola opens up on contract decision

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hit the headlines over the international break after it was confirmed that has would be extending his stay at the club beyond the end of the season.

The new deal, which could now run as long as 2027, would take the famous Spaniard beyond a decade at the club having first arrived in 2016 before guiding the club to the pinnacle of European football.

However, the announcement came as somewhat of a surprise following months of heavy speculation that Guardiola was seriously considering his future after years of consistent success.

Pep Guardiola opens up on contract decision

Pep Guardiola will remain in charge at Manchester City beyond the end of the season (Image credit: Getty Images)Guardiola looked set to end his stay at the Etihad this summer, partly due to the wealth of achievements he enjoyed at the club as well as the intense legal battle lingering above the club bringing a wealth of insecurity.

The Spaniard – Ranked at no.1 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best managers in the world right now – has lifted six Premier League titles, a Champions League and five domestic cups during his stint as Manchester City manager.

Guardiola has transformed Manchester City into one of the biggest clubs on earth (Image credit: Alamy)However, the 53-year-old has since revealed how close he was to leaving the club at the end of the season, telling reporters that he firmly believed this year would be his last in Manchester.

“I thought that (this season) should be the last one,” Guardiola said. “But with the problems we had in the last month, I felt that now is not the time to leave. I would have let the club down. I felt that I could not leave now.

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“Simple as that. Maybe the four defeats was the reason why and I felt that I cannot leave. I felt the club still wanted me and the fact we’re still together so I signed.”

He added: “Every time I sign a contract it’s ‘OK, the last two. And after I re-signed the contract I said, ‘OK, the last two’. Honestly, I think right now me and my staff deserve to be here. I’m not arrogant but it’s the truth.

“We deserve the chance, after four defeats in a row, to try to bounce back and turn this situation. I had the feeling that we had to take the right decisions for the future. I enjoy being here. I like my job.

“The moment I don’t have that feeling, even under contract, I will call my chairman and chief executive to say the best for the club right now is that I have to leave. In football you cannot win all the time.

“This season we have won one (the Community Shield) already and maybe we are not going to win the other ones but this is not the problem. The problem is what’s next, what decisions do we have to take to still be in there, to still be a good team. The fans have to push us to win again.

“Some will be delighted like I am but some might believe it’s enough. I know all of them – they know us quite well and we’ll never give up. In the last games we were there. We still have to adjust some things but hopefully it will happen.”