Pep Guardiola has ended a dominant 10-year spell at Manchester City, and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has explained why the final decision felt different from past exit threats. Guardiola left at the end of the 2025-26 season, and Manchester City are already moving towards appointing a successor, with former assistant Enzo Maresca currently viewed as the leading candidate.

Guardiola stepped away after winning 20 major trophies with Manchester City across a decade at the Etihad. The haul includes six Premier League titles, the Champions League, and the FIFA Club World Cup. The final competitive game under Guardiola was a 2-1 home defeat against Aston Villa, where Manchester City supporters said farewell to the manager.

The decision came even though Guardiola still had one year left on the existing contract. Across earlier interviews, Guardiola had suggested that the plan was to complete that deal. However, Manchester City announced two days before the Aston Villa match that Guardiola would leave, allowing time for a public goodbye from the manager and the fans.

Al Mubarak said the tone of Guardiola’s decision made it clear that the discussion had reached a different point from previous seasons. “I knew it, and that’s why I didn’t fight it,” Al Mubarak told Manchester City’s media team. “Throughout these years, I’ve always fought it and always brought him back because I knew that was always the answer. But in this particular one, I think he knewand I knew that he knewand that is why it was the right thing for him, and it was the natural thing. He’s more than just the manager of the club. To me, he’s a friend. Over these years, we have become close friends, and I don’t know if he will admit it, but I consider myself his psychiatrist.”

Al Mubarak described how Guardiola regularly suggested leaving during difficult spells, which became a familiar pattern over 10 years. “Inevitably, we have had a lot of ups and some downs, and in the downs, he must have quit 100 times over these 10 years. There is the story, as you all know, ‘The Boy that Cries Wolf’. In the case of Pep, when he says I quit, it doesn’t mean he’s quitting. You don’t take it that seriouslyyou have to manage him.”

According to Al Mubarak, Guardiola never expected to remain in Manchester for such a long period. The chairman said Guardiola originally did not imagine going beyond four seasons. “He never thought he would stay more than four years, then more than five years. So in his mind, even years four and five, it was always ‘OK, how much more time? How much more time?’ And it always had to be done in the correct way. There was always going to be one moment where it was going to be real.”

Manchester City Pep Guardiola successor and new manager search

Attention at Manchester City has now turned towards finalising Guardiola’s replacement, with Enzo Maresca emerging as the preferred option. Maresca previously worked as Guardiola’s assistant before moving into management. At Chelsea, Maresca won the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup during an 18-month stay at Stamford Bridge, which strengthened the case for a return to Manchester City.

Manchester City are in discussions with Chelsea over compensation for Maresca, who is still under contract at Stamford Bridge. Reports indicate that Manchester City hope to reach an agreement within the week. When asked about the managerial search, Al Mubarak stressed that supporters should trust the process. “Just be patient with us. Very soon we will announce it, and you will be comfortable that we have selected and brought in the best manager possible.”