Oasis guitarist and co-vocalist Noel Gallagher has given his opinion on when Pep Guardiola will finally leave Manchester City.
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Catalan coach into final year of contractManchester-born musician is close to City bossNot concerned about future when Pep departsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The musician and life-long City fan described Guardiola as a "good friend" and predicted that he would not be walking out on the club at the end of the season when his contract expires.
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"I personally think he'll stay. I mean, I don't know, he's not saying anything to me, but I personally think he'll stay for one more year," Gallagher told before City's Champions League clash with Sporting CP. "Then it gives everybody a chance to breed and reflect on what he did, you know, and if he could nick another Champions League this year, be great."
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Guardiola has led City to six Premier League titles in his eight years in charge plus two FA Cups, four League Cups and the club's long-awaited first Champions League in 2023. Gallagher is not concerned, however, that City will experience a similar fall in grace that Manchester United suffered when Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. He described the Red Devils as "complacent" and said that City would be in safe hands due to chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
He added: "I actually think the most important man of the club is Khaldoon. We all know he [Guardiola] is going. He's already said he's not going to stay for another seven, eight years. So they must know, so they must have a plan set in place and Txiki [Begiristain, sporting director] going at the end of the season. That's the guy that bought the players. So it feels like the end of an era coming. I don't know one single City fan who is down about it. I think everybody's ready to to finally give him what he deserves, a great send off."
DID YOU KNOW?
Ruben Amorim, the next United manager who took on Guardiola in his final home game in charge of Sporting, admitted that he expected City to approach him about succeeding the Catalan before he accepted the offer to take charge of the Red Devils after Erik ten Hag was sacked. Xabi Alonso and Vincent Kompany lead the list of Guardiola's potential successors now that Amorim is out of the running.