Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed that part of him will leave the club when director of football Txiki Begiristain departs at the end of the season.
Begiristain, who has been with City for 12 years, played a pivotal role in bringing Guardiola to the club in 2016. He will be succeeded by Sporting’s Hugo Viana.
A former teammate of Guardiola at Barcelona, Begiristain also influenced Guardiola’s appointment as manager at the Nou Camp in 2008.
“Part of me is leaving. A friend of mine, an architect who created one of the best teams at Barcelona and here. Personally, he will be missed a lot,” Guardiola stated.
“He helped me find balance in this job. I can be very energetic, and when we lose, I want to change everything, but he always said, ‘Take a moment.’ We have to move on, and the club will continue.”
Ahead of Manchester City’s match against Wolves on Sunday, Guardiola was also questioned about his own future. With his contract expiring at the end of this season after seven years at the club, he noted he felt “closer to leaving than staying” after City secured their historic fourth consecutive Premier League title in May.
When asked if he had been approached regarding the England job before Thomas Tuchel’s appointment, Guardiola replied, “It doesn’t matter.”
“The club has to prepare for when I leave, which will happen sooner or later. I want to be completely convinced that my departure is in the best interest of the club. I won’t delay any decisions thinking it could be a problem for them.”
Begiristain’s exit was confirmed last week, shortly after a ruling was announced in City’s legal case against the Premier League regarding the league’s rules on commercial deals involving club owners.
Both sides claimed victory in that case, which is separate from the ongoing Premier League disciplinary commission investigating 115 charges against City for alleged breaches of financial regulations, some dating back to 2009.
