1. Footymad
  2. Sky Blues Mad
  3. Sky Blues Latest
  4. Sky Blues News

Man City CEO Quells Pep Guardiola Exit Talk & Insists Manager Will Honour Contract

​Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano has insisted that Pep Guardiola will honour his contract at the club and not jump ship early, despite falling further behind Liverpool in the title race.

Leading 2-0 against Wolves on Friday night it looked as though Guardiola's side were still in with a faint chance of catching the league leaders, but a second half collapse saw the visitors fall to a 3-2 defeat to find themselves 14 points adrift of the Reds, who have a game in hand.

That loss was ​City's fifth in the league this season already, having lost just six in their last two title-winning Premier League campaigns combined. The poor form they've shown this season has led to speculation surrounding their Catalan boss' future at the Etihad Stadium, however, Soriano was quick to quell suggestions their manager would not see out his current deal - which runs until 2021.

“Pep has said so many times that he has a contract that covers this year, plus next year too," Soriano said at the Dubai International Sports conference, via the ​Mirror. “There is no discussion about this. Pep will stay and he’ll leave at the right time one day – and the club is strong enough to survive any change. But as Pep said many times, he’s not leaving.”


Rumours had surfaced that a break clause was inserted into Guardiola's contract that would allow him to leave in the summer, but those murmurings were quashed by the 48-year-old recently. 


Soriano added further that he has no issue with his manager at present, citing the competitiveness of the ​Premier League as something that cannot be ignored. Furthermore, having accrued 198 points over the last two seasons, he claims there was always naturally going to a resulting dip in form.

Pep Guardiola

“I would say that what’s happening is normal," he added. “What’s not normal is what happened the last two years where Manchester City got 198 points in two years. The Premier League is very competitive. Any team can win against any team.


“Obviously we’re not happy with the amount of games that we have lost, but that’s the nature of competition and the nature of football.”


Source : 90min