Pep Guardiola is driven by glory, trophies, and legacy. For me, he is not just a great manager, but the greatest the Premier League has ever seen. What he has done at Manchester City has changed English football forever, and that is why this season feels different. It feels heavier. It feels final.
Guardiola’s success speaks louder than any debate. His teams dominate games, dominate leagues, and dominate history books. Titles, records, tactical revolutions, and a style of football that many try to copy but few truly understand. That is why he edges past legends like Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, and even Sir Alex Ferguson in the modern Premier League era.
You cannot reach Guardiola’s level without a strong ego. Not a bad ego, but one that demands perfection and immortality. He wants his name written into football history in permanent ink. Four Premier League titles in a row, a long-awaited Champions League triumph, and complete domestic dominance have already secured his legacy.
But great men rarely drift quietly into the background. They choose their moment. They choose their ending. And that is why I believe this could be Pep Guardiola’s final season at Manchester City.
Let’s be clear. This is a theory. It is an opinion, not a fact. Guardiola has not announced anything. But football often gives us signs before the words are spoken, and there are several signs that suggest he may be preparing for a perfect exit.
If you are going to leave, you do not want to finish second. You want to go out on top. Runners-up medals do not belong in farewell speeches. That is why Manchester City look absolutely obsessed with winning the league this season.
That obsession showed itself when Guardiola did something very un-Guardiola-like in the transfer market. He signed Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain for £26m. No one doubts Donnarumma’s quality as a goalkeeper. He is world class. But City had already brought in James Trafford as their long-term number one, a keeper comfortable playing out from the back.
Guardiola has always been extreme about goalkeepers. When he arrived at City, he ruthlessly moved on Joe Hart to bring in Claudio Bravo because style mattered more than sentiment. That is why Donnarumma’s arrival raised eyebrows.
Donnarumma is not a typical Guardiola goalkeeper. Playing out from the back is not his greatest strength. Yet City saw an opportunity, saw a keeper in a different class, and went for him anyway. In fairness, Donnarumma has been outstanding since arriving. He has delivered when it mattered most.
This transfer felt like a manager saying, “I want to win now.” Not later. Not in three years. Now.
Manchester City have always spent big, but never wildly compared to some rivals. What makes this period different is the urgency. They spent over £300m in 2025, but they could afford it because they had been careful in previous windows.
Some of those deals were extremely smart. Rayan Cherki for £30m was a bargain and a statement of intent. Youth, talent, and immediate impact rolled into one.
This current window has gone even further. City paid £64m for Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth, and it already looks like money well spent. He is Premier League ready, strong mentally, and a player who fits straight into a title-chasing side.
City are pushing hard in every direction. They are even willing to spend around £40m on a player who will be out of contract in the summer. Financially, it makes little sense. Strategically, it makes perfect sense if the goal is one final charge at glory.
Marc Guehi is another example of that thinking. He can strengthen the defence immediately and help City edge tight games. If City beat Arsenal to the title again, it would be an extraordinary achievement in such a competitive era.
That kind of triumph would be the perfect farewell. A final title. A final statement. A manager walking away having conquered everything once more.
Guardiola’s contract runs until 2027, but history tells us that elite managers rarely stay until the final day of their deal. Timing matters. Momentum matters. Leaving at the peak matters.
If this is the end, the succession plan may already be forming. If I were a betting man, I would point to Enzo Maresca. He is a free agent. City know him. He has worked there before. The hierarchy trusts him, and Guardiola respects him deeply.
Maresca does not have Guardiola’s aura or experience. No one does. But he is a brilliant coach with the right ideas, and sometimes continuity is as important as charisma.
Whoever follows Guardiola faces an impossible task. You do not replace an all-time great. You survive the shadow he leaves behind.
Pep Guardiola will be remembered as one of football’s true giants whether he leaves this year or later. But every great figure wants the same thing in the end. One last trophy. One last moment. One last roar from the crowd.
And that is why this season feels like more than just another title race. It feels like the closing chapter of a legendary story.
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