Pep Guardiola commits future to Manchester City after signing new three-year deal
If Guardiola stays for the duration of his new deal, that would be five years in charge of City – the longest he will have stayed in any one job
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Manchester City have secured the future of Pep Guardiola, who has signed a new three-year deal at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola has just guided City to the best season in Premier League history, in which they set new records for wins (32), goals (106) and points (100), as the Spaniard picked up the seventh league title of his managerial career.
This season was the second of the three-year contract Guardiola signed when he replaced Manuel Pellegrini as City manager in 2016. That meant Guardiola only had one year left on his existing deal, but he has now signed a new three-year contract which will tie him to City until the end of the 2020-21 season. If Guardiola stays for the duration of his new deal, that would be five years in charge of City – the longest he will have stayed in any one job.
Guardiola started his coaching career at FC Barcelona, where he replaced Frank Rijkaard in 2008 and stayed four seasons, winning three La Liga titles as well as the Champions League twice, beating Manchester United in the finals of both 2009 and 2011. After a one-year sabbatical, Guardiola took over at Bayern Munich in 2013, where he won three consecutive Bundesliga titles but could not win another Champions League.
After a difficult first year in English football, in which City finished third, 15 points behind champions Chelsea, and did not win a single trophy, Guardiola this year inspired City to their third Premier League title in six years.
“I am so happy and excited," Guardiola said of his new contract. "It’s a pleasure to be able to work here.
“I enjoy working with our players every day and we will try to do our best together in the coming years. As a manager, you have to feel good to be with the players – and I feel good.
“I will focus on the desire of my players to become a better team and every day that’s what I will try to do – to improve on the pitch and improve our players. We have a young squad with an average age of 23 and we want to keep taking steps forward and maintain the levels we’ve achieved this season.”
Manchester City chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, added: “We are delighted to announce the extension of Pep’s contract through to 2021. In his two seasons with us, he has fostered an incredible spirit within the squad and significantly contributed to our progress both on and off the field. In doing so he has embodied the passion and commitment we all have for the Club.
“I am very much looking forward to the continued impact of his work and to fulfilling our shared ambitions in the coming seasons.”
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