Pep Guardiola's Man City contract latest amid looming 'deadline,' Txiki exit and Club World Cup factor

Pep Guardiola says he won't visit Abu Dhabi this week, and feels in no rush to sign a new contract at Manchester City.

Yet in 2022 he used the World Cup break in November to visit Sheikh Mansour and sign a new deal and it was the November international break in 2020 when he penned his first contract extension.

Naturally, that has led to speculation that he could do the same this year with seven months now left on his deal. But as Guardiola goes quiet on his future plans, where does he stand, and where do City stand?

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What has Guardiola said?

Guardiola left things dangling fairly negatively during last summer's title celebrations. 'I am closer to leaving than staying', he said, referring to his eight year stint until that point. On tour, he put the record straight, saying he didn't mean he was leaving at the end of the season and would 'love' to stay. 'If you love what you do, why stop?' was his message.

Still, he clarified his 'closer to leaving' comments by reminding fans that he won't be manager for another eight years. “Nine years today in the same club is an eternity, I want to be sure it’s the right decision. Not just for me, for the club, for the players.”

The general feeling before the summer was that Guardiola would call it a day in June. The winds have shifted a little to leave the possibility of an extension open, but nobody truly knows what he is thinking.

Most recently, he said: "I said many times, I won't talk about it. When it happens, will happen. We're in touch regularly. Happens always for the benefit of the club."

Last week he also said that he doesn't feel rushed into making a decision, suggesting he may wait after his usual November window to make a call on his future. He said: "I will not delay an action if I feel it is a problem for the club. I will take a decision as soon as possible but I don't have that feeling."

What about Txiki Begiristain?

Influential Sporting Director Txiki Begiristain brought Guardiola to City and the pair worked together at Barcelona. Begiristain will leave City at the end of the season, and the club have already appointed his replacement in Hugo Viana.

Guardiola admitted that 'part of me is leaving' when asked about Begiristain but he backed City to continue seamlessly and refused to connect his decision with Begiristain's exit.

“I knew the decision for a long time, for family and personal reasons, and I know how grateful he is for this experience here," Guardiola said. “Personally he will be missed a lot. He helped me a lot in my period in Barcelona and of course here.

“But I have the opinion the club is so solid, incredibly well structured. It has to be like that. All families have to move on and the club will move on.”

"It will be a bad sign for the club if after just one person leaves and everything is dragged down," he said. "The guys know exactly what they have to do.

"When it is going bad they will find the solutions immediately. They will be patient, calm and know what they have to do. Absolutely, I don't have doubts about that. With Txiki for 12 years and my case, it is normal that it looks like we cannot leave, but of course we can move on. Life moves on. The earth continues round.

"I'm pretty sure that the club have an option when Txiki leaves and they have options when Pep leaves. Sooner or later it is going to happen and they have options. It will not be a surprise."

When will City learn about their 115 charges?

Guardiola insisted nobody will move him from his seat when City were charged with alleged breaches of financial rules, with a hearing on the long-awaited charges taking place over the Autumn. A verdict is expected within the new year, although some reports suggest it could be in December.

It may benefit all parties to wait for a verdict, as Guardiola will know what he is signing up for - although he has always had full faith in the club and even suggested he would follow them down the leagues if City were handed an extreme punishment.

In light of City's recent poor run of form and never-ending injury crisis, Guardiola has vowed to fight to turn things around and stated that he relishes the challenge presented to him in search of a fifth successive Premier League title.

Could Guardiola sign a short extension for the Club World Cup?

Yes. His current contract expires midway through the Club World Cup, complicating any potential succession plan. If Guardiola does leave, any successor would have a shortened summer to prepare and no recognisable pre-season.

Guardiola has confirmed his intention to manage City at the new-look tournament which could see him leave on the highest high. FIFA recently introduced rules to aid contract extensions for players over the tournament but the registration rules for managers are different, meaning any short-term extension - if one is needed - would be easily arranged for Guardiola.

When he last signed a new deal in 2022, he said there was no pressure given by the club, who trusted him to make the best decision in his own time. He made his decision after talks in Abu Shabi with Sheikh Mansour and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

"Khaldoon never pushed me," he said in November 2022. "He never told me 'Pep you have to do it'. He respects me a lot and it is an example of how we have been since day one.

"He gives his opinion, I give my opinion and after everyone works in the way he believes he should for the benefit of the club and the whole organisation, from the top until the bottom.

"Lately we decide 'OK we will do it' and after the decision with the family was right, so I said let's do it."