Pep Guardiola reportedly held a late night group call with his players to admit he will leave Manchester City at the end of the season after his exit plans leaked
Pep Guardiola is said to have held a ‘late night group call’ with his Manchester City players to tell them he will leave the club after Sunday’s game against Aston Villa.
Reports surfaced on Monday evening claiming that Guardiola is poised to depart City at the season’s conclusion, drawing the curtain on a triumphant decade at the helm. However, according to The Sun, Guardiola is said to be ‘furious’ after news of his exit was leaked prior to Tuesday’s crucial penultimate Premier League clash away to Bournemouth.
In reaction, Guardiola chose to gather his City squad together and conducted a group conference meeting to reveal his decision to depart the Etihad Stadium following their season finale.
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A source told The Sun: “Pep is furious at the timing just before a game. He summoned the players to join a late night group call and confirmed he was leaving.
“He apologised for the way the news emerged. It took him by surprise. The players were told as recently as Saturday that he wasn’t going so everyone is in a state of shock,” reports the Manchester Evening News.
City have declined to comment on the reports and Guardiola will face questions about it when he leads his side to the Vitality Stadium to take on Bournemouth on Tuesday evening.
Guardiola guided City to FA Cup glory on Saturday as they defeated Chelsea 1-0 at Wembley. That triumph could prove to be the final piece of silverware for the Catalan as City manager following a medal-filled 10 years in charge.
City have a slim chance of clinching the Premier League title, but must secure victories in their final two matches against Bournemouth and Villa, while hoping Arsenal falter at Crystal Palace.
Since his arrival at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, Guardiola has steered City to six Premier League titles, including an unparalleled four consecutive wins. He also guided the Blues to their maiden Champions League trophy, along with three FA Cups, five League Cups and three Community Shields.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss had long been expected to depart City at the season’s end, and the club have now started informing key stakeholders ahead of a Sunday announcement.
Guardiola’s significant contribution to City will be honoured with an open-top bus parade through Manchester on Monday, accompanied by his players and the women’s and academy teams.
Enzo Maresca, the ex-Leicester City and Chelsea manager, has agreed to step into Guardiola’s shoes at City. He served as Guardiola’s deputy at City in the 2022/23 season before taking the helm at the Foxes.