Pep Guardiola is set to sign a new deal with Manchester City, and he could be stuck with the club in the lower divisions if they lose their case with the Premier League.
Sam Lee broke the news for The Athletic on Tuesday that Pep Guardiola has agreed a new one-year contract extension with Manchester City, with the option of a further year.
Guardiola’s existing deal was due to expire in June 2025, but he’s now set to stick around until at least 2026, if not 2027.
But that raised the question of what will happen if City lose their case surrounding the 115 charges brought against them by the Premier League. If a significant proportion of those charges are proven, the expectation is that the club will face heavy sanctions, including a potential relegation.
On that note, Jamie Jackson reports for The Guardian that the new contract doesn’t include a break clause allowing Guardiola to leave if City are relegated.
The manager doesn’t have any kind of agreement in place with the club that he can walk away if City face the drop.
The expectation is that the formal hearing with the independent commission will conclude within the fortnight, but the verdict isn’t expected until 2025, possibly as late as March. Even then, there could be an appeal to delay potential sanctions.
Yet if the eventual result is a spell in the Championship, or even expulsion to non-league football, it seems Guardiola would be following the team down the divisions.
As it stands, there haven’t been any hints on how City’s hearing is going, and they deny all wrongdoing. We may not know more on that for a while yet.
In the meantime, City are expected to announce Guardiola’s extension in the coming days.