Cesc Fabregas is on a three-man shortlist to replace Pep Guardiola after the draw at Tottenham ‘raised more doubts’ over the legendary manager’s future at the club.
City threw away a two-goal lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday to fall six points behind leaders Arsenal and sources at the club now believe the players are ‘going through the motions’ in what they believe will be Guardiola’s final season.
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The Spaniard’s contract runs until the summer of 2027, but – as reported by The Telegraph – ‘there is a growing sense among City’s rivals and within Premier League circles that Guardiola will leave after 10 years in charge’.
City sources are said to have dismissed suggestions that the club have started to plan for his possible departure as “pure speculation”, but that speculation has indeed ramped up in recent weeks, particularly after Enzo Maresca told Chelsea that he had spoken to City before being sacked by Chelsea last month.
Maresca – who worked as Guardiola’s assistant at City – is said to be on the shortlist to be the next permanent City manager, along with Xabi Alonso and Fabregas.
Alonso – who was sacked by Real Madrid in January – is ‘a coach City will carefully consider despite his association to rivals Liverpool’, who may also be on the lookout for a new manager with Arne Slot still under huge pressure at Anfield despite winning the Premier League title last season.
Fabregas became Como’s permanent head coach in the summer of 2024 and has earned admirers across Europe for the work he’s done with the Italian side.
It’s claimed he would ‘only leave the Italian club for one of the biggest jobs in the Premier League or Europe’ and they come no bigger than replacing Guardiola at the Etihad.
Vincent Kompany is another manager frequently linked with the City job given his success as a player and captain for the club, but ‘sources who work closely with Bayern Munich do not expect him to leave if the City post becomes available at the end of the season’ after he extended his Bayern contract to 2029 in October.
READ MORE: Who will replace Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager?
It’s claimed Guardiola could be asked for his own recommendation for his successor, as was the case with Sir Alex Ferguson when he pushed Manchester United to land David Moyes, but director of football Hugo Viana will be the man ‘primarily tasked’ with the unenviable task.
Sources told The Telegraph that the manner of the draw with Tottenham, which essentially saw City give up the ghost in the second half, offered evidence as to why the club is thinking of making a change at the end of the campaign.
One source said: “Tottenham were there for the taking, but City weren’t ruthless. They let them off the hook. Some of the players look like they think Pep is leaving at the end of the season and, as a result, they are going through the motions.”
Another source added: “It just doesn’t look as though it means as much to them as Arsenal. Most of them have won all those trophies and if they win the title, then great. But if they don’t, does it mean as much? [Erling] Haaland was laughing with Tottenham players near the end of the game, when City needed a goal.”
