Manchester City Director To Step Down At The End Of The Season

Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain is set to step down from his role at the club at the end of the season, a report has revealed.

Begiristain has been with Manchester City since 2012 and is widely recognized for his significant influence on manager Pep Guardiola’s career. He oversaw Guardiola’s coaching debut at Barcelona and played a key role in bringing him to City in 2016.

As noted by The Athletic, Begiristain had planned to walk away from City when he turned 55 but ultimately pushed that deadline back to his 60th birthday, which arrived in August.

Begiristain has announced his decision to leave this summer, and reports indicate that the City has already reached an agreement to hire his successor, who is set to start in early 2025.

While Begiristain is not directly tied to Guardiola, it could impact the City manager’s decision. He has already admitted he is approaching the end of his tenure at the club, with this season his ninth in charge.

A prior report indicated that Guardiola was considering stepping down as City manager at the end of the current season.

However, club officials are eager to retain him, and the manager has yet to make any definitive decisions.

Fans held a banner aloft ahead of City’s victory over Fulham which urged Guardiola to stay beyond this season.

“They have to bring me the bill,” Guardiola said in response to the display. “I will pay, I don’t want them to spend money for that. What can I say? Thank you so much. I fell in love since the first day I was here. What’s going to happen is going to happen.

“I am part of this club, deep inside my bones. I’m part of this club, not just the manager. I love this club and it will always be this way. It cannot be different [because of] the way they treat me from day one. It is impossible.”

Meanwhile, City remains locked in a major legal battle with the Premier League over 115 allegations of financial breaches, some of which stem from the pre-Begistain era.