‘I am pleased to be here’ - Pep Guardiola hints at future plans amid Manchester City uncertainty

Pep Guardiola has hinted his immediate future lies in England amid the uncertainty of his contract situation at Manchester City.

The Catalan’s deal expires at the end of this season and Guardiola has not been forthcoming on whether he plans to extend his stay in Manchester beyond the 2024/25 season. This is his ninth campaign at City, hugely eclipsing the time spent at Barcelona (four years) and Bayern Munich (three years).

His distinguished career also includes a two-year stint in Italy as a player, although he has not yet managed in Serie A. Speaking after City’s 0-0 draw against Inter Milan on Wednesday night, Guardiola was asked if he would ever consider returning to the country as a coach.

“I love Italy but I really enjoy being here,” he replied. “I love English football. It is fantastic, I really enjoy it. They leave you alone to get on with your job. That doesn’t happen anywhere else. 

“This is a great club; I really feel good here. I am pleased to be here.”

Facing some slightly peculiar questions from the Italian media in his post-match press conference, Guardiola also denied that he ever spoke to Inter about becoming the club’s manager in 2010, and also distanced himself from reports that he has tried to sign defender Alessandro Bastoni in recent years.

But the City manager will no doubt have been impressed with the performance of Bastoni and his colleagues at the back, who managed to prevent the 2023 European champions from scoring at home, and also silenced the clinic Erling Haaland.

“There were six players around him, three behind, three in front,” Guardiola claimed after the game when asked about Haaland’s inability to score. “That makes it difficult for any player. 

“We tried to use the spaces, that is why [Ilkay] Gundogan had a couple of chances. I knew Inter would play like that. Credit to them. We created a couple of really clear opportunities but we didn’t score.”