It’s been one of the most dramatic weeks in recent Premier League history, and right in the middle of it all, a bombshell dropped. Pep Guardiola is reportedly leaving Manchester City. Not at the end of his contract in 2027 — now. This summer. After Sunday’s final game against Aston Villa.
So is it actually true? And is the timing as messy as it looks?
What we know
Reports from the Daily Mail’s Oliver Holt — one of the most well-connected football journalists in England — state that Guardiola will leave Manchester City at the conclusion of the 2025-26 Premier League season, Premier League title or not. The news has not been officially confirmed by either the club or the coach, but reports in England suggest that an announcement could be imminent and that conversations with sponsors regarding his departure have already taken place internally.
Confirmation is expected on Sunday, timed to allow his legacy to be properly celebrated at an open-top bus parade through Manchester on Monday.
This isn’t a wild rumour from an unreliable source. When Ornstein reports it and the club starts planning a parade, it’s happening.
The timing problem
This Guardiola exit story breaking now is genuinely awkward for Manchester City on multiple levels.
Arsenal currently hold a five-point lead over Manchester City in the title race, and if City fail to beat Bournemouth tonight, the Gunners will be crowned Premier League champions. So City’s players are preparing for what could be a must-win match to keep their title hopes alive — while simultaneously reading that their manager is definitely leaving. Some English media outlets have even suggested Guardiola could announce his decision before Sunday if City mathematically lose their remaining title chances beforehand.
That is a lot of noise to manage in a dressing room that needs to be completely focused.
The timing also lands against the backdrop of the Premier League’s ongoing investigation into more than 115 alleged financial regulations breaches — charges that City strongly deny. Guardiola has always been a central figure in how the club has presented itself publicly through that saga. His departure removes that stabilising presence at a moment of continued institutional uncertainty.
What has Guardiola actually achieved?
Whatever the circumstances of his exit, the legacy is extraordinary. Guardiola steered City to 16 major trophies, including the UEFA Champions League, and his crowning achievement was winning the treble in 2022-23 — the first time an English team had done so since Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United in 1998-99. Across his ten years at the Etihad he won 6 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups, 5 League Cups and 3 Community Shields, plus European and global honours. The 2026 FA Cup win over Chelsea at the weekend was his 20th trophy as City boss.
His meticulous, possession-heavy tactical philosophy has fundamentally reshaped English football from the Premier League all the way down to grassroots level. No manager in the modern era has had a greater influence on how the game is played in this country.
Who replaces him?
The Athletic’s David Ornstein and Sam Lee are reporting that Enzo Maresca — a one-time assistant at City under Guardiola and former Chelsea coach who won the UEFA Conference League and the Club World Cup — may be lined up to take the job. Vincent Kompany, a former City player, has also emerged as another potential successor.
So — messy exit, or perfect send-off?
The Telegraph’s framing of this as a “messy exit” is understandable. The timing of the leak, mid-title race, with two games to go, is far from ideal for a club trying to win a seventh Premier League title. Whether that leak was deliberate or not, it’s an unwanted distraction.
But step back and the broader picture looks different. Guardiola departs having collected 20 trophies in ten years, with the FA Cup already secured this weekend, a possible title still on the table, and a parade being planned in his honour. That’s not a messy exit — that’s one of the great managerial farewells in English football history, just arriving with a slightly chaotic news cycle around it.
Sunday’s game against Aston Villa will almost certainly be his last. Whatever happens in the title race, it deserves to be celebrated.