BBC says Pep Guardiola is a useless and selfish coach for underating 22-yr old player who is far better than Phil Foden saga.

BBC says Pep Guardiola is a useless and selfish coach for underating 22-yr old player who is far better than Phil Foden saga.

Pep Guardiola refuses to rule out Manchester City contract extension
‘I’m closer to leaving than staying but I didn’t say I’m leaving,’ says the City manager

Pep Guardiola has refused to rule out extending his contract with Manchester City.

The City manager is out of contract next summer and appeared to hint in the wake of the club’s record fourth consecutive Premier League title triumph in May that this forthcoming season may be his last at the Etihad Stadium.

But Guardiola has insisted he has not made a final decision on his future and that he could yet sign a new deal but first wants to see how City start the new season and whether his players retain the same appetite.

“I’m not being here for eight more years so that’s why [I said] I’m closer to leaving than staying. But I didn’t say I’m leaving,” Guardiola told reporters ahead of City’s friendly against AC Milan at Yankee Stadium in New York on Saturday night.

“When I’m leaving, I will say I’m leaving. But I didn’t say it. So that was my approach, maybe I was not correct to say that but that was my feeling at the time. So we spoke with the club and said: ‘It’s a lot of years, we’ll see what happens.’

“But I will not rule it out absolutely to extend the contract. I would love to stay, because I would love to stay. So that’s why I don’t want it to happen, I don’t want to deny my feelings, I want to see my players. Nine years, today, in the same club is an eternity.

“And I just want to be sure it’s the right decision, not just for me but for the club, that it’s the right decision for the players, that still they run like they already ran for eight years, it doesn’t matter the competition, it doesn’t matter the tournament. This is what I have to see. And that’s all.

“But I’m pretty sure I will not stay eight more years because I think it’s good to refresh – the players, the managers. But at the same time, we had success, still winning Premier Leagues, still arriving in the last stages.”

It is thought City would want a final decision from Guardiola by December at the latest in order to give them time to plan any succession but the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach says Khaldoon Al Mubarak, the club’s chairman, and other officials will be kept fully informed of his intentions.

“I’ve not given it consideration because I haven’t decided I’m leaving,” he said. “When I decide, ‘Okay, it’s over’ … first of all, I will talk with my sporting director [Txiki Begiristain], my chairman [Al Mubarak], my CEO [Ferran Soriano]. That’s the first.

“I will never do one step without my team, my club not knowing it. I’m incredibly grateful [to them]. When it happens, we will talk. When? I don’t know when is the best.

“It doesn’t mean to do it that way is perfect, or doing it another way is perfect. Or maybe in a few months, I will say: ‘Extend the contract.’ So I don’t know. What I said at the end of the season is: ‘Okay, at the start of the season, how is everything going, how connected we are together again, and after we’ll see.’”

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City Emirati chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak after the English Premier League win over West Ham in May CREDIT: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
City’s only summer signing to date is the Brazil winger Savinho, a projected £33.6 million arrival from Troyes, and Guardiola suggested the Premier League champions may not bring anyone else in, unless someone leaves.

“Right now, no,” Guardiola said of the prospect of more arrivals. “If someone leaves at the end, maybe [we will sign new players]. But if no one leaves, I think we will stay like we are.”

Brazil’s Savinho celebrates scoring his side’s second goal against Paraguay during a Copa America Group D soccer match in Las Vegas in June. Manchester City completed the signing of Savinho in July CREDIT: David Becker/AP
Guardiola appears more concerned with City retaining Ederson, his first-choice goalkeeper who is considering a move to Saudi Arabia with Al Ittihad eager to sign the Brazilian.

“I wish from the bottom of my heart Eddie [Ederson] continues with us,” Guardiola said. “Replacing Eddie is so difficult. Of course, what I said, it depends on him, if he wants to …

“But I would love if he stayed because I cannot imagine our process, our success in these last years without him, and he’s an important figure in the locker room, in his presence, many things. And hopefully, it would be a good signing for us.”

Related Topics
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City FC, Premier League

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