What could Begiristain departure mean for Guardiola future?
- Published
When Manchester City fans displayed a banner at Etihad Stadium on Saturday pleading for their adored manager Pep Guardiola to stay, they probably weren't aware his close friend, ally and director of football Txiki Begiristain would be leaving the club this summer.
Guardiola's contract expires at the end of this season, with no indication from the club or manager as to whether he will sign an extension.
On Tuesday, BBC Sport reported Begiristain is set to leave City after this campaign, with the 60-year-old being praised many times by Guardiola for his work on recruitment.
Guardiola, who joined City in 2016 on a three-year deal, extended his City contract in May 2018, November 2020 and again in November 2022.
“One of the reasons I extended my contract two times is because Txiki is here,” Guardiola said in 2021.
“We work together incredibly well. When we win, we try to analyse why. When we lose, we try to analyse why. We don’t judge the other one. We both work for the best for this club.
"That's why it's a joy to work here with people like Txiki."
Begiristain joined City in 2012, and played a key role in bringing his former Barcelona team-mate and colleague Guardiola to Manchester.
Since then Guardiola has led City to 18 trophies, including six Premier League titles and a first Champions League triumph in 2022-23.
In July, Guardiola said he wanted to wait until the season was under way to "look at how everything is going and how connected we are" before making a decision on his future.
And asked about the fans banner last week, Guardiola's latest answer to media questions about any decision on his future was: "When it's going to happen, it's going to happen."