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Pep Guardiola will step down as Manchester City manager this summer, the club confirmed on Friday
Guardiola will be a hot prospect with oddsmakers listing him favored to land as the manager of England next
55-year-old Pep Guardiola will step down as Manchester City manager this summer, the club confirmed on Friday. His final game against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Guardiola has chosen to take advantage of a break clause in his contract -- set to run until June 2027 -- and leave a year early.
Guardiola departs having won 20 trophies as City boss, including six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups, the Champions League and Club World Cup.
"Don't ask me the reasons I'm leaving," he said. "There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it's my time. Nothing is eternal, if it was, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City.
"This is a city built from work. From graft. You see it in the color of the bricks. From people who clocked in early, stayed late. The factories. The Pankhursts. The unions. The music. Simply the Industrial Revolution and how this changed the world. And I think I grew to understand that, and my teams did too.
"We worked. We suffered. We fought. And we did things our own way. Our way."
Where Will Pep Guardiola End Up Next?
- England – 5/2
- Italy – 11/4
- Brazil – 9/2
- Barcelona – 11/2
- Bar – 6/1
William Hill was among the first bookmakers to post odds on Guardiola's next destination.
Spokesperson for William Hill, Lee Phelps, said: “Manchester City have confirmed that Pep Guardiola’s trophy-laden decade at the club will come to an end this weekend, and we make it 5/2 that Guardiola’s next role will be head coach of the England national team.
“That’s very closely followed in the market by the Italy job (11/4) while it’s 9/2 that he follows Carlo Ancelotti as the manager of Brazil. The most likely club destination for Pep is a return to Barcelona, priced at 11/2.
“Although we don’t have a market for who will replace Guardiola at Man City – everything points towards Enzo Marseca filling the Catalan’s shoes at the Etihad.”
- Alistair Prescott, Gambling911.com
