Guardiola responds to England job link and Man City exit claims: ‘Anything is possible’

Man City boss Pep Guardiola admits “anything is possible” when questioned about links to the England job amid doubts about his continuation at the Etihad Stadium.

The Citizens have started the season well with Guardiola guiding his defending champions to an unbeaten start with five wins and two draws from their first seven Premier League matches.

That sees Man City second in the Premier League table, one point behind leaders Liverpool and well positioned to win their fifth consecutive title this term.

However, they are facing a growing number of questions this summer with Guardiola’s future up in the air and a number of key reportedly thinking of leaving if the Catalan departs at the end of his contract next summer.

There have been rumours that Man City have requested that Guardiola makes a decision by Christmas in case they have to search for a new manager.

Guardiola has been linked with the England job following Gareth Southgate’s departure in the summer with the Three Lions losing to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.

When asked on Italian chat show Che Tempo Che Fa if it would be his last season at Man City, Guardiola replied: “That’s not true, in the sense that I have to think about it.”

When asked if he will become the next England manager, Guardiola added: “No, that’s not true.

“If I had decided something I would say so. Anything is possible.”

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Txiki Begiristain’s departure next summer has seen speculation ramp up that Guardiola will leave Man City but transfer expert Fabrizio Romano insists the Citizens are “confident” of keeping the former Barcelona midfielder for “at least for one more season”.

On Begiristain leaving his role as a Man City director, Romano wrote in his Caught Offside column : “Pep Guardiola is obviously the main man at City, but behind the scenes Begiristain is the man signing all the superstars – he’s made some fantastic signings during his time there, and he’s also very highly regarded for his work at Barcelona before that.

“I’m told that he will now take a sabbatical, but his intention is not to retire. We’ll see how long his break will be, but his plan is to take his time and see what other opportunities there will be in the football world.

“Meanwhile, it will be time for Manchester City to find a new director of football and my information is that the big favourite for the job is Hugo Viana of Sporting Lisbon. He’s a strong candidate and has very good chances to replace Begiristain at City. He’s done an excellent job in Portugal, signing players like Viktor Gyokeres and Ousmane Diomande, so he’s a very talented director.

“I can confirm that contacts are already ongoing, so keep an eye on this one as it looks like Viana has a good chance of becoming a new key figure behind the scenes at Manchester City. I rate him really highly and so I’m not surprised to be told about him being favourite for the job. Txiki Begiristain is a world class director, one of the best in history, he made incredible things in Spain and then he built this City masterpiece with Pep and Ferran Soriano, so it’s a big blow for City, for sure, but I’m also sure they know how to replace him in the best way possible.

“Some fans have also asked me what this all means for Guardiola’s future, but my information is that Begiristain leaving doesn’t mean that Guardiola is also leaving. The feeling inside City is that they are confident of keeping Guardiola at least for one more season – the final approval, the final decision will be from Pep himself, but my information remains that the change in director doesn’t mean that the manager will also be leaving.

“Guardiola is taking his time to decide at this important point in City’s project, but the club are confident and optimistic about keeping their manager, with Begiristain’s future not changing that.”