Manchester City made a big announcement on Thursday night.
Pep Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension, taking his tenure with City until the summer of 2027.
Many City fans reacted to Guardiola’s extension, which is something that was still in the balance last month.
Specifically, during the October international break, Guardiola said he hadn’t decided his City future.
Now though, with the uncertainty about his future at the Etihad Stadium swept away, the Catalan has shared some interesting details about his decision.
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Pep Guardiola sheds light on contract extension decision
In his first press conference since the announcement, Guardiola said this about his decision to continue his journey with the Blues and how long it took him to agree to do so.
He said: “I felt I should stay here. Of course, because they want me. For obvious reasons, for the results and because we’ve known each other for a long time.
“All my decisions have been like that, what I feel in the moment. I don’t pre-convince, I wait. I decided to stay here and in just two hours we did it [agreed the contract].”
Guardiola was then asked why he signed up for two more years rather than just one.
He said: “For the weather. Mainly, I don’t want next season in September, October, November, to be ‘is this the last year of Pep? Will he extend again?’ That was the main reason, I don’t want to be in that position.
“In the end, the contract is there. I would like to stay two more years, but I know that if results are not good it won’t be two years. It’s the same with the players. We have some incredible, legendary players here but you have to perform.
“If you don’t perform, our owner, chairman and fans will say ‘What’s going on? We have to change.’
“Everyone is under pressure, with me the first. Maybe it’s a little bit arrogant but I think we deserve to continue, for what we have done in the last years.
“But at the same time, we have to do it again, we have to be up there. If we’re not, the club has to find a solution.”
Guardiola is a City icon
Before the official announcement, The Athletic reported that Guardiola had agreed to extend his stay at City.
When asked about it in his latest press conference after seeing his Brighton & Hove Albion side beat the Citizens 2-1 prior to the November international break, Fabian Hurzeler shared his delight about Guardiola and the prospect of his staying at City.
He said: “It’s the best thing that can happen to the Premier League because, in the end, he is one of the best coaches in the world.
“With his ideas, he always brings something new to the football stage and it is always a challenge to compete against him. He always adapts quickly, always has new ideas and he can always win the game.
“I’m very happy that he will hopefully extend his contract because we can learn from him and to compete with him is a big, big experience.”
Having spent a combined total of seven years in charge of Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the fact that he has signed up for 11 years in charge of City shows how much he enjoys being where he is.
| Manchester City | Matches | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals Scored | Goals Conceded | Trophies Won |
| Pep Guardiola | 490 | 360 | 60 | 70 | 1239 | 446 | 18 |
Having also led the Blues to a vast number of trophies – during which he’s seen his side break a multitude of records – it’s easy to see why the club have offered him this contract and why he thinks he deserves it.
Taking all of that on board, there can be no denying that Guardiola is a certified City icon, regardless if he ends up not winning another title between now and 2027.
