Many Manchester City fans were left surprised earlier this week as news dropped that Txiki Begiristain is set to leave the club.
The director of football will reportedly be stepping down at the end of the season, and the search is now on for a replacement.
It is thought Manchester City really admire Hugo Viana, who is currently the sporting director at Sporting CP.
City have also been linked with Andoni Zubizarretta, the sporting director at FC Porto.
It is a rather fascinating development, and one that many see as a real shame. Because Txiki Begiristain has been integral to the success of City in recent years, and has helped provide Pep Guardiola with the tools to succeed.
Some have wondered why Txiki is leaving the club and what his next move will be – and journalist Fabrizio Romano has now shared some more information.
Txiki Begiristain won’t retire after leaving Man City
Romano has been speaking about Manchester City and the latest goings on at the Etihad Stadium in a new video for his YouTube channel.
He was the man to report that City were interested in Viana, and now he’s offered some more information regarding Begiristain’s next move – and one thing the Spaniard will definitely not be doing is retiring.
Romano said: “He’s leaving now, it’s time for him to have a sabbatical.
“It’s not guaranteed yet how long it’s going to be. The intention, from what I’m hearing, is not to retire. It’s to stay in the football industry.
“He will remain in football, and it’s luck for football to see Txiki Begiristain again in the game. But for sure, he’s not retiring. He’s going to take some time and then decide what he wants to do in the football world in the future.”
Txiki joined City all the way back in 2012 as the club’s director of football, and has been instrumental in helping City become a dominant force in English football.
It is thanks to him that City were able to lure Guardiola, and the pair have worked closely together for the last nine years or so to build a truly world-class squad.
A big blow for Man City to lose Begiristain
This was a big development that has left some fans feeling slightly uncomfortable.
Guardiola has been the face of City for years now, but there is no doubt that Begiristain has helped him thrive.
He’s helped bring the right profile of players to the club for Guardiola to then work his magic.
In his video, Romano referred to Begiristain as ‘a Spanish living legend of football’, and ‘one of the best directors of football in the history of the game’. It is a major shame he’s going, and news of Begiristain’s exit will surely have left Guardiola gutted.
It is a slightly uncomfortable feeling to know that Begiristain could quite possibly take up a role at another club after his sabbatical.
It will certainly be very interesting to see where he goes and what job he takes next. Given all he has achieved at City, one would imagine he will not be short of opportunities.
