Guardiola has won 20 trophies at City since joining in 2016.Visionhaus/Getty Images
After a decade that reshaped English football, Pep Guardiola’s time at Manchester City appears to be moving toward its final chapter, with the club already turning quietly toward what comes next.
The news landed around Manchester almost like something people had been expecting but still didn’t fully want confirmed.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has informed players that he will leave the club at the end of the season, bringing an end to a spell that has defined an era of dominance, according to people familiar with the situation.
The timing surprised some inside the squad. Guardiola had reportedly hoped to keep his decision private a little longer, especially with the team still fighting through the final stretch of the season. But word began to circulate faster than expected, forcing an internal acknowledgment that change is coming.
What makes the moment feel heavier is not just the departure itself, but what follows it.
City are already lining up Enzo Maresca, currently under contract obligations elsewhere, as the leading candidate to take over. Maresca is not an unfamiliar name inside the club. He previously worked within Guardiola’s coaching setup, part of a tactical system that helped shape City’s modern identity.
There is a sense of continuity in that choice, but also a quiet question hanging over it. How do you replace a manager who didn’t just win titles, but changed the way the team thinks about football?
Inside the dressing room, reactions are said to be mixed. Some players have spent nearly their entire peak years under Guardiola’s guidance. For them, his methods, demands and routines are almost second nature now. Others are already looking ahead, trying to understand what a different voice might bring.
City’s hierarchy has been preparing for this possibility for some time, even if the public tone remained cautious. Success at this level rarely allows for surprise exits without contingency planning already in motion.
Guardiola’s tenure has been built on consistency at the highest level, with domestic dominance, European success and a style of play that influenced managers across the continent. But long cycles in football rarely end loudly. They tend to fade into a period of quiet transition, where decisions are made before official announcements catch up.
Maresca’s potential arrival adds another layer of tension. He represents familiarity, but not certainty. A former assistant stepping into the role of successor carries expectation that is both supportive and unforgiving at the same time.
For supporters, the feeling is complicated. There is gratitude for what has been achieved, but also curiosity about whether the next phase can sustain the same rhythm, or whether this marks the beginning of something less predictable.
Nothing is officially finalised in public terms yet, but the direction is clear enough that the conversation inside football has already shifted forward.
And as City move toward the end of another demanding season, the bigger story is no longer just what they win next it is who will be standing on the touchline when the next chapter begins.
