PEP GUARDIOLA ADMITS "IT’S DECIDED" TO STOP MANAGING AFTER MANCHESTER CITY
Pep Guardiola drops a retirement bombshell, confirming he will "stop" after Manchester City to focus on his health and life.
Pep Guardiola’s been dropping hints again that he might not just leave Manchester City soon but could actually walk away from football management altogether. Sure, his contract runs until 2027, but the talk just won’t die down. People keep saying he might pack his bags at the end of this season.
Every time he faces the press, he brushes it off. It doesn't matter; the city's already looking at who comes next. Since December, they’ve been making plans, and word is, they’ve even thought about bringing in his old assistant, Enzo Maresca, to take over if Pep steps down.
There’s also talk about him moving upstairs into some kind of executive role. After all, he’s done it all: Barcelona, Bayern, and now City. Maybe he’d rather shape things from behind the scenes.
Rumours keep swirling, especially now, as City gears up for that big Champions League showdown with Real Madrid. Pep’s latest comments just poured more fuel on the fire. When TNT Sports asked if he’d miss these huge matches after he retires, he didn’t exactly sound like someone planning to stick around forever.
He said, “Of course I’ll miss these games. I really love it here; I like coming back. People in Madrid probably don’t expect it, but I have a lot of respect for them; they’ve done so much for football.
“Yeah, I’ll miss it, but I’ll also miss going to Camp Nou; I’ll miss Bayern Munich. Hopefully, we get through, and I can go back there, and I’ll miss it when I stop. These nights are special.
“I’ll even miss Selhurst Park. I love it. The Premier League and these stadiums. I don’t know, I’ll miss the Champions League, but also places like Fulham, Crystal Palace, and Goodison Park; these grounds are a big reason why I love England and the Premier League. And the FA Cup! Playing against League One teams… I really like it! But one day, it’ll all be over, right?”
Pep’s already taken a break before; after Barcelona, he disappeared for a year before showing up at Bayern. Last summer, he was pretty open about what comes next. He basically said another break is coming once he leaves City.
He put it like this: “After this time with City, I’m going to stop. That’s for sure. It’s decided, more than decided.
“I don’t know for how long – maybe a year, maybe two, three, five, ten, fifteen; I have no idea. But I’ll stop when I leave City because I need to focus on myself, my body, you know…
'In Catalan, we say "badar".' Badar, badar, badar… I want to do that, just stop and watch the cows go by as the train passes. My grandfather used to say, ‘You look at me the way cows watch the train go by.’ That’s it. Sometimes you just need to stop and watch life go past.”
MANCHESTER CITY REACH FINAL STAGES FOR TROYES SENSATION MATHYS DETOURBET THIS SUMMER
Mathys Detourbet to join Man City! See how the club beat PSG to sign the Troyes winger while eyeing a Newcastle target.
Manchester City are closing in on a deal for Mathys Tel, Troyes’ highly rated young winger. Sources tell StadiumNest that talks are heading toward the finish line, and both clubs stand to benefit, especially Troyes, who want to secure promotion this season.
Back in January, we reported that City had been looking at rising talent in their network of sister clubs. Detourbet and his teammate Christ Batola, both at Troyes, caught their eye right away.
Paris Saint-Germain have shown interest in the pair too, but City Football Group are determined to keep both players within their system.
As things stand, Detourbet is set to sign for Manchester City this summer. The plan is for him to return to Troyes on loan for next season, giving him more time to play and develop.
Troyes, sitting at the top of the Ligue 2 table and aiming to get back to Ligue 1 for the first time since 2022/23, sees this arrangement as a win. Keeping Detourbet, who has four goals and seven assists from 35 matches, gives them a better shot at promotion, even as they sell him to City.
As for the second star, 16-year-old striker Batola, he’s expected to sign a new long-term deal with Troyes, which keeps him within the City Group setup for now. The city sees him as a future option; Batola has scored nine and assisted twice in just 21 appearances this season. Locking him down keeps his talent in their circle and gives them flexibility down the road.
City is moving quickly, especially with PSG sniffing around. They look set to land Detourbet and keep Batola as a prospect, showing off the strength of their global multi-club model.
Meanwhile, in terms of immediate signings, City remain focused on landing a Newcastle United player labelled as a “dream target", though they’re also exploring other options heading into the summer transfer window.
ERLING HAALAND CALM DESPITE FOUR-MATCH DROUGHT: "THERE'S NOTHING TO LOSE, NO PRESSURE"
Erling Haaland and Man City take on Arsenal at the Etihad. Get the latest team news and title race odds for tonight.
Man City sits second in the league, trailing the leaders by six points with six games left to play. Pep Guardiola’s squad, however, holds a game in hand over Arsenal.
If City manage to beat Arsenal today and then secure a win against Burnley, they could draw level on points with the North London club, maybe even surpass them depending on the goal difference.
So far, Haaland has netted 22 goals in 31 Premier League matches, but the Norwegian doesn’t see any extra pressure on City heading into this game. He’s gone without scoring in his last four outings.
“Right now, I’m quite calm,” Haaland told Sky Sports.
“It’s one game per week, which is pretty unusual for us. It hardly ever happens. Honestly, I don’t feel much nervousness because we’ve been chasing all season. There’s nothing to lose, so no real pressure.
“You’d have to ask Arsenal if they feel pressure. I can only speak for myself. I don’t feel much pressure because we’re still a fair way behind.”
Last season, Haaland had a memorable clash with Gabriel during a 2-2 draw at the Etihad. Gabriel shouted in Haaland’s face, and Haaland responded by tossing a ball at the Arsenal defender and telling their manager Arteta to “stay humble” after a heated exchange that also involved several other Gunners players, including ex-City forward Gabriel Jesus.
“It’s always a battle,” Haaland said about facing Arsenal.
“They usually have a lot of players around me, which actually works in my favour. It means something. It’s tough playing with many players crowding you, but it’s a good fight. As I said, it’s always good to test yourself against the best because that’s what you want.”
Arsenal, arriving today, has been inconsistent lately. They’ve only won once in their last five matches and narrowly scraped a 0-0 draw against Sporting Lisbon in their recent Champions League semi-final clash.
