Manchester City Agrees Deal With Txiki Begiristain’s Replacement As Sporting Director

Manchester City are set to appoint Sporting Lisbon’s Hugo Viana as their next sporting director.

The Premier League champions have the basis of a deal in place for the former Newcastle midfielder to succeed Txiki Begiristain, who is due to step down at the end of the season.

City, set to face Sporting in the Champions League on November 5, have been looking into potential replacements for Begiristain for a while and have identified Viana as their top choice.

It is understood that City hopes to have Viana in place in the early part of next year to smooth the transition and allow the 41-year-old to shadow Begiristain, one of the world’s most esteemed sporting directors, for a period before his departure.

Viana became Sporting’s director of football in 2018 and played a key role in hiring Ruben Amorim, who led the Portuguese club to league titles in both 2021 and the last season as head coach.

He has overseen a series of impressive transfer deals that have abetted Sporting’s rise under Amorim, who is regarded as one of the most exciting young coaches in European football.

In recent years, Viana has brought in players such as Manuel Ugarte, Matheus Nunes, and Pedro Porro, later selling them for substantial transfer fees. He has also offloaded high-profile players like Bruno Fernandes and Joao Palhinha for significant amounts.

Sporting has also had success selling homegrown stars such as Nuno Mendes for substantial sums under Viana’s watch.

Reports this week indicate that Begiristain’s forthcoming departure is not anticipated to significantly impact manager Pep Guardiola’s decision regarding his future, despite the close personal and professional relationship between the two.

Guardiola’s contract and potential replacement

Guardiola is out of contract at the end of the season but has yet to indicate whether he intends to extend his deal or leave.

The City manager has been aware of Begiristain’s plans for this season to be his last for some time and said in July that he wanted to see how the team progressed this term and the appetite of his players before deciding on his plans.

If Guardiola decides to leave, Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso is expected to be a key candidate in City’s plans.

However, Amorim is among several managers who could also be considered in that situation.

Hugo Viana career as a player and director

Viana made over 500 appearances in career-spanning clubs in Portugal, England, Spain, and Dubai and represented Portugal 29 times.

A former central midfielder, he was signed by Newcastle from Sporting for £8.5million in 2002 when Sir Bobby Robson was manager but struggled to deliver on his potential.

He made 56 appearances in his first two seasons on Tyneside before being loaned first back to Sporting and then to Valencia.

Valencia secured his permanent signing in 2006, and the player also had stints at Osasuna and Braga before concluding his career in Dubai with Al-Ahli and Al-Wasl.

He began his career as a sporting director at Belenenses in 2017 before moving to Sporting the following year.