Man City news: Another former Cityzen enters the frame as Guardiola succession planning steps up

Pep Guardiola is under contract at Manchester City until June 2027 — but will he still be in charge next season? With genuine uncertainty surrounding the Spaniard's future, the Citizens are already working on a succession plan.

City plan for the post-Guardiola era

In November 2024, Manchester City announced Guardiola's contract extension until June 2027. Having been in charge since the summer of 2016, the Spanish manager is now entering the final 12 months of his deal at the Etihad. The question on supporters' minds is whether the former Barcelona boss will see out his contract or pack his bags at the end of the 2025-26 season.

Recent Carabao Cup winners at Arsenal's expense, City are at the mercy of Guardiola's final decision. A close friend of his, Matthias Sammer, has detected signs of fatigue in the 55-year-old Catalan, who has won everything there is to win at Manchester City, from the Premier League to the Champions League and the Club World Cup. "My gut feeling tells me something's wrong when I look at his face. I would advise him to take a deep breath," Sammer admitted.

For his part, Guardiola has not yet publicly announced his decision, but the Premier League giants have no intention of waiting to plan for a possible departure.

Kompany emerges as Guardiola succession candidate

While several names have already surfaced in the press — including Italian Enzo Maresca (out of work, former Chelsea) — talkSPORT reports that Manchester City are also considering one of their former players: Vincent Kompany. Securing the services of the former Belgian centre-back will not be straightforward for the English club.

Appointed in the summer of 2024, the 39-year-old manager holds a contract with Bayern Munich running until June 2029. The Bavarians are firmly in first place in the Bundesliga and have reached the Champions League quarter-finals, with a two-legged tie against Real Madrid still to come.

A four-time Premier League champion as a player, Kompany made 360 appearances for Manchester City across all competitions, including 265 in the Premier League. The young manager has left an indelible mark, but it is difficult to imagine the Uccle-born coach leaving Bayern Munich so quickly given his current success on the other side of the Rhine — 74 wins in 98 matches, averaging 2.40 points per game.