Manchester City advances succession strategy for Pep Guardiola as squad rebuild shifts focus to institutional strength
With Hugo Viana leading the search and Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak overseeing the process, the Etihad club is preparing for life beyond the current tenure regardless of the outcome of ongoing legal challenges.
Manchester City is actively preparing a succession plan for manager Pep Guardiola, with former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca identified as a leading candidate to replace him. While Guardiola remains under contract until the end of the 2025-26 season, sources indicate a decision on his retention will be made soon, with the club confident in its ability to compete for trophies regardless of the managerial transition.
The club has already begun a significant squad rebuild under new sporting director Hugo Viana, who assumed the role in October 2024 following a six-month handover from Txiki Begiristain. This period of transition has seen the arrival of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi in January, marking a strategic shift in recruitment. Unlike previous windows where the club leveraged Guardiola's presence heavily to attract talent, these signings secured long-term deals based on the club's infrastructure, financial power, and commitment to on-field success.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who has led the club since 2008, is confirmed as the central figure in the appointment process, with no major decisions made without his input. Viana is currently leading the search for a successor, targeting a new central midfielder with Elliot Anderson as a primary target, while managing the departures of key players like John Stones and Bernardo Silva in the summer.
The recruitment strategy has fundamentally changed; Semenyo and Guehi entered negotiations with their eyes open, prioritising a move to City despite interest from rivals. Their decision to sign five-and-a-half-year deals suggests that the club's pitch remains among the most competitive around, centring on on-field success and the world-class squad already assembled rather than the guarantee of working with the current manager.
This institutional approach extends beyond the pitch, with the club continuing to prepare the football operation for success well beyond Guardiola's tenure. The arrivals of Semenyo and Guehi provide tangible proof that the club's recruitment operations are not dependent on the manager's employment, reinforcing the narrative that the club's unique selling point lies in its history under Abu Dhabi ownership and its state-of-the-art facilities.
While the club strongly denies any wrongdoing regarding the 115 charges in relation to alleged Premier League financial rule breaches, the outcome of the case will resonate across the sport. Regardless of the legal landscape, the rebuild carried out over the past year suggests the organisation is not preparing for the worst but is instead gearing up for a busy summer window to ensure continuity.
