- Catalan coach moved to England in 2016
- Overseen era of dominance across eight years
- Uncertainty regarding what happens next
GettyWill Pep Guardiola stay at Man City? Staff unsure if boss will extend his contract beyond this season as club legend reveals Spaniard is looking most 'energised' in years ahead of another title defence

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There is a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users. The plan is available on a one-month rolling contract, although those that sign up for a 12-month plan (offering one year plus an extra three months) can save around 60%, while those that sign up for a two-year plan (offering two years plus an extra four months) can save 67%. Both longer-term plans include a 3GB holiday.com eSIM that is valid for five days in 150+ destinations.

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Those that sign up for ExpressVPN's entry-level Basic plan gain access to a high-speed VPN, which offers high-capacity 40Gbps servers in many high-demand locations, with VPN servers in 113 countries worldwide.
The VPN can be applied across 10 different devices simultaneously, and offers Lite Protection that blocks ads and malicious and adult websites. A dedicated IP is available to be purchased as an add-on.
Additionally, ExpressVPN's Basic plan includes the ExpressMailGuard, which offers a 10MB/month private email relay plus 10 shared aliases.
There is a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users. The plan is available on a one-month rolling contract, although those that sign up for a 12-month plan (offering one year plus an extra three months) can save more than 60%, while those that sign up for a two-year plan (offering two years plus an extra four months) can save 80%.

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Those that sign up for ExpressVPN's most popular plan, the Advance plan, gain access to a high-speed VPN, which offers high-capacity 40Gbps servers in many high-demand locations, with VPN servers in 113 countries worldwide.
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Additionally, ExpressVPN's Advanced plan includes the ExpressMailGuard, which offers a 100MB/month private email relay plus 50 shared aliases and a custom domain, and ExpressKeys, which gives users a password management facility for an unlimited number of passwords plus a 2FA authenticator.
There is a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users. The plan is available on a one-month rolling contract, although those that sign up for a 12-month plan (offering one year plus an extra three months) can save more than 60%, while those that sign up for a two-year plan (offering two years plus an extra four months) can save 73%. Both longer-term plans include a 3GB holiday.com eSIM that is valid for three days in 150+ destinations.
(C)GettyImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
The Catalan coach has been in his current post since 2016, with an English adventure taken on following successful spells in charge of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. At the time of his appointment, few could have predicted that he would remain at the helm eight years later – with six Premier League titles, a couple of FA Cups, four League Cup wins and a Champions League triumph to his name.
WILL GUARDIOLA STAY?
It remains to be seen how much longer Guardiola will be sticking around, with no clues being given as to his way of thinking. There has been talk among those on the blue half of Manchester of extensions, 12-month sabbaticals or a fresh start being sought, with City hero Paul Dickov – speaking in association with William Hill – telling GOAL when asked what happens next: “He’s the best, we all know that. With only having this year left, every press conference that he does, every interview that anybody connected with the club is going to do, is going to get asked that question until he decides what he does with his future. We’re all hoping that he does extend – not just City fans but the Premier League in general, he’s been that influential. I really don’t know. I was out in pre-season and speaking to some of the people within the club and trying to get a little hint of what Pep was going to do, but they were genuinely saying themselves that they don’t know. They want Pep to make that decision when he’s ready.
“The one thing on a positive note, sometimes in pre-season as players and staff when you are away for a long time, it can be a little bit of a drag, but I have never seen Pep look as energised in a long time. In and around the hotel, on the training pitch and especially in his press conferences, he seemed to have a little bit of a buzz about him and energy that maybe we haven’t seen the last couple of years because it has been long seasons, short post-seasons and straight into pre-season. He’s probably looked a bit tired, but he’s now energised and bubbly and raring to go. Hopefully that’s a good sign.”
Getty ImagesCOULD GUARDIOLA TAKE ENGLAND JOB?
There has been talk of the Football Association making a play for Guardiola, with Lee Carsley taking charge of England on an interim basis following the departure of Gareth Southgate. As a former Scotland international, Dickov said when asked if he is hoping to see those rumours disappear as quickly as possible: “Definitely! If there is any job going at any club, or whether it be any country, because he’s in the last year of his contract, Pep’s name is going to get mentioned. When we were out in the States, all of the fans out there were saying that Pep is going to come and manage the U.S. national team. All England fans are saying that they want Pep to come and do the England team. Any job that is out there, he is going to be the one that is linked to it. He’s an intelligent guy, he will know what his plan is and what he wants to do. We just have to keep our fingers crossed that it’s staying in Manchester.”
MORE TRANSFER BUSINESS?
Guardiola has overseen plenty of transfer business during his time at City, but little of that has been completed this summer – with Brazilian winger Savinho the only new arrival. Asked if he expects more movement before the next deadline passing, Dickov said: “Usually I get a little inkling from people in and around the club, but it has been very quiet. You would think that with Julian Alvarez leaving, the money that we have got for him – that’s incredible business, from £14m to £81m in a couple of years. Maybe it’s getting a back-up for [Erling] Haaland, if he needs a rest or is injured. The problem you have got is, any top player who wants to come to Manchester City won’t want to play second fiddle to Haaland. We have seen that with Julian. His numbers over the last couple of years, the trophies that he has won and the impact that he has made when he has played, he’s probably looked at it and thought that he’s still not going to play in the position he wants. That’s the problem if City are going to go for the top players that they want to get – they are going to want to come in and play.
"I look at the signings like Savinho etc, do they go for somebody a little bit younger that they can bed in and have an impact? [Jeremy] Doku last season, probably played a bit more than he expected to because of injuries to Jack [Grealish] and his form, so it might be a younger talent to come in that can still have an impact when needed.”
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?
City are already in the trophy-collecting habit for 2024-25, having seen off arch-rivals Manchester United on penalties in the Community Shield, and will open the defence of their Premier League title – as they take aim at five-in-a-row – when taking in a trip to Chelsea on Sunday.
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