Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has provided an update on his future at the club after threatening to quit his job earlier this week.
Guardiola has been in charge at the Etihad since 2016 and has enjoyed an incredible amount of success, helping City clinch a famous treble in 2023.
In total, he has helped City win 18 major trophies since he joined the Premier League club nine years ago, including six Premier League titles.
But they’ve been below their usual standards this season, registering their first trophyless season since 2016-17 – Guardiola’s first campaign at City.
Guardiola’s side lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace this term and their Champions League qualification still isn’t fully secured heading into the final day of the Premier League season.
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Speaking after City’s penultimate top-flight game of the season – a 3-1 win over AFC Bournemouth – Guardiola threatened to quit as manager if the club does not reduce the size of his squad this summer.
‘I said to the club I don’t want [a bigger squad],’ Guardiola said after a number of City’s senior stars were not included in the matchday squad against Bournemouth.
‘I don’t want to leave five or six players [out]. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay.
‘It’s impossible for my soul to [tell] my players that they cannot play.’
Guardiola, though, speaking in a pre-match press conference on Friday ahead of City’s trip to Fulham, has played down his previous comments.
‘I was laughing when I said that,’ Guardiola told reporters. ‘I’m not going to quit… But the expression is the same – I don’t want players at home with family when the team is playing.’
Meanwhile, Guardiola admits he does not know how many City players are likely to leave this summer amid his concerns over his squad’s size.
‘Do you expect me to tell you the names of the players are going to leave, or the signings we are going to make?’ Guardiola asked. ‘Do you expect me to tell you this today, now?
‘We will see. Now I’m just focussed on Sunday and after [that] the club will take the decisions they have to take.’
Guardiola’s side realistically only need a draw from game against Fulham to secure a top-five spot, while victory would confirm a third-placed finish.
The only way a draw would not be enough for City is if Aston Villa win their match against Manchester United by a record-breaking 17 goals.
‘We need one point to go into the [Champions League] next season and we have to go to win against a top side,’ Guardiola added.
‘When I saw [Fulham] yesterday and today, I said, ‘WOW! What a team!’ They have everything!’
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