Manchester City coach, Pep Guardiola, spoke about his recent victory in the English Premier League. Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp, whose successor at Liverpool has been named, 'can't wait' for his new life.
Spanish Pep Guardiola, coach of champion Manchester City, spoke about the possibility of his departure in the summer of 2025. “The truth is that I am closer to leaving than staying,” Guardiola told Sky Sports television after winning the title on Sunday. After beating West Ham 3-1, City secured their next title after a long-distance duel with Arsenal, already their sixth championship under Guardiola. The 53-year-old's contract in Manchester runs for another year.
“It's been eight years, and it will be nine after that. My feeling at the moment is that I want to stay next season. We can then talk about the future during the season. We can't wait to go back,” said Guardiola, who moved to the island in the summer of 2016 after working at Bayern Munich and winning the title. Since then with titles in the Premier League, the FA Cup, and in 2023, “but eight or nine years later…” the Champions League.
The premiere is on the horizon
The FA Cup final against rivals Manchester United takes place at Wembley on Saturday and City, like last year, have a chance of winning the National Double. “I know that no team in history – Gary Lineker told me, I didn't know – has won the Premier League and FA Cup double in a row,” Guardiola said of the importance of that. He wants to give his professionals two or three days to enjoy the tournament and then begin short preparations for the final.
Another master will slow down in his craft in the coming months. Jurgen Klopp earned an optional break from Liverpool with a 2-0 win over Wolves. “I can't wait for life, life after my career. Now let's see what it means for me,” said the German. After intense years with the 2019 Champions League title as his highlight, he “didn’t want to do anything” at the moment.
Club plan
For Klopp, this means traveling to the First Division final to see his former club Borussia Dortmund take on Real Madrid and watching some European Championship matches “here and there”. “Then go on vacation,” he announced. He predicted a bright future for Liverpool. “It feels like the beginning. Today I saw a team full of talent, youth, creativity, desire and greed. This is part of development, this is what you need.” Klopp had previously praised his Dutch successor, Arne Slot, whose contract the club confirmed on Sunday.
A new era has now begun for Liverpool under Slott. “Imagine next season starting and don't wait to see what happens. “I welcomed the new coach the same way you welcomed me,” Klopp asked. He had been at the helm of the Merseyside club for almost nine years. He finished the Reds, who in the meantime were playing for Championship, season in third place On Sunday, Klopp heard a final phrase “You'll never walk alone” and then disappeared with his hand over his heart and a red jacket with the words “I'll never walk alone again”.
