There is still not much at Man City that has to be adjusted or fixed from an on-field standpoint. After winning the treble two seasons prior, Pep Guardiola’s team won the Premier League for the fourth time in a row last season.
With players like Josko Gvardiol, Matheus Nunes, and Jeremy Doku invigorating the ranks, older stars like Aymeric Laporte, Ilkay Gundogan, and Riyad Mahrez have been replaced with younger, hungry talents.
There is, however, a contract dispute about their management at the Etihad Stadium—the “elephant in the room.”
Guardiola’s current contract with Man City expires after just one more season. The Spanish manager, who is recognized as one of the best in football history, has often hinted at a departure.
Guardiola remarked this month, “After the Champions League final in Istanbul last year, I said, ‘It’s over, there’s nothing left.'”
“However, because I have a contract, I begin to wonder, ‘Why don’t we try?’ Since nobody has ever won four Premier League titles in a succession. I think it’s over now, so what comes next?
It’s hard to pinpoint the exact motive once everything is finished, so I’m not sure what it is anymore.
Later, in an interview with media following City’s most recent Premier League victory, Guardiola added more gasoline to the flames.
After the upcoming season, I am actually closer to leaving than staying,” the City manager acknowledged.
Supported to succeed Pep Guardiola as Mikel Arteta
Should Guardiola choose to leave the Etihad in 2025, his trophy-filled tenure there will come to an end at the nine-year mark. That is how long his fiercest adversary, Jurgen Klopp, managed Liverpool for before deciding to step away from the position.
Nonetheless, Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, has been Guardiola’s main opponent for the last two seasons despite his amazing performance at the Emirates.
Together with Edu, Arteta has performed remarkably well in the market. His strategies have simultaneously made Arsenal deadly up forward and incredibly strong at the defense, and the Spaniard is also responsible for the team’s remarkable mentality transformation.
However, Danny Mills, a former England international, believes that Arteta would be the ideal choice to succeed Guardiola at Man City in 2025.
According to Mills, who was quoted by Goal, Arteta’s prior relationship with Man City and Guardiola—having been his No. 2—will make him the preferred choice of Man City’s decision-makers.
Danny Mills believes Arteta can continue Man City’s supremacy.
Without a doubt, Mills said, “Mikel Arteta is the best man to replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.”
He is familiar with City’s style of play, has experience working with Pep, and is capable of matching Pep’s energy.
“I believe there will be a problem. It’s comparable to attempting to replace Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, or Jurgen Klopp.
“I’m sure the City hierarchy is searching for a replacement right now. For example, many coaches are winning in the City Group.
“City is concerned, but you have to have faith in them and hope that there is a good succession plan because of what they’ve done in the past, the senior figures they’ve brought in to manage the academy and recruitment.”
Without a doubt, Arsenal would have a better chance of emerging as the new dominant force in English football if Guardiola were to leave in 2025.
But if Arteta were to rejoin Man City and replace Pep, that power shift would come to an abrupt halt.
Latest information on Arteta’s Arsenal contract extension
June 2025 is when Arteta’s current contract with the Gunners and Guardiola’s with Man City are set to expire.
Reliability writer David Ornstein speculated in May that the most likely scenario for Arteta’s future was that he would remain in north London longer.
Ornstein stated to The Athletic, “I see a manager who appears to want to continue in this project.” “And a club that is adamant about not losing him.
“I assume they just need to sit down, have a discussion, and make sure the idea, the vision, and the statistics are all correct. Have a mutual understanding.
“Then, I have no evidence to suggest that they won’t stay together.”
Other parties will undoubtedly be interested in Mikel Arteta, both now and in the future. Already, linkages to Barcelona and other places have been shown.
“[But] despite the fact that we don’t yet have any updates on talks, this looks to be a very happy marriage with no signs that it will end.”