Guardiola’s final act a letdown, but he leaves Man City in strong positionplayGuardiola congratulates Arsenal amid questions on his future (1:47)Pep Guardiola responds to questions about his Manchester City future by congratulating Arsenal on winning the Premier League title. (1:47)Rob DawsonMay 19, 2026, 06:22 PM ETMultiple Authors
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BOURNEMOUTH, England — There will be no dramatic final act for Pep Guardiola.
The Manchester City boss, apparently primed to exit the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season, watched his team draw 1-1 with Bournemouth on Tuesday to end any hope of overtaking Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.
The result means Mikel Arteta’s side are champions for the first time since 2004 with a game to spare.
A win for City at the Vitality Stadium would have set up a nerve-jangling final day and kept alive the possibility that Guardiola could add one more trophy to his glittering CV.
But with nothing left to play for, the City supporters can use Aston Villa’s visit on Sunday to pay tribute to their legendary manager, as well as departing stalwarts Bernardo Silva and John Stones.
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Andoni Iraola, meanwhile, will sign off as Bournemouth boss after delivering the club’s first European qualification in their 127-year history. The precious point against City guarantees a top-seven finish, enough for a guaranteed spot in next season’s Europa League.
Iraola has already validated his exit. Guardiola, however, is still teasing the possibility that his mind isn’t quite made up.
The City fans who made the long trip to the south coast made their feelings known from the first whistle, singing “one more year, one more year, Guardiola” on repeat for most of the evening.
Club management are understood to be resigned to losing Guardiola this summer, but the 55-year-old is not ready to give the game away just yet.
In his post-match news conference, he refused to confirm his plans either way. Instead, he simply repeated that he must first speak to City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak.
“I could say that I have one more year of contract,” stated Guardiola, who has a deal until 2027, but with a break clause this summer.
“With the conversations I’ve had for many, many years, always from my experience when you announce — whatever you announce — during the competition is a bad, bad result.
“Like you understand, the first person I have to talk to is my chairman. I will not tell you [a decision] here because I have to talk with my chairman, with my players, with my staff because when we play for the FA Cup, qualification for the Champions League, the Premier League it’s just one thing in my mind and focus: Try to bring the team to the highest point. And it’s what we have done.”
Crucially, Guardiola revealed those talks with Khaldoon will happen before Villa’s visit to the Etihad on Sunday. He knows those fans with tickets will want to give him a fitting send-off after 10 years and 20 trophies.
“We talk in the next days,” stated Guardiola. “I have to talk with my chairman. He deserves the first to talk about what we have to do.”
1:49
Marcotti reacts to reports of Guardiola’s Man City exit
Gab Marcotti discusses Pep Guardiola’s stated Manchester City departure at the end of the season, with Enzo Maresca lined up as a replacement.
If, as expected, Guardiola does leave, he will handover a squad in good health. The Carabao Cup and the FA Cup are safely in the trophy cabinet and City have pushed Arsenal to the final week of the season in the title race.
There’s no disgrace in dropping points against Bournemouth. Iraola has overseen an unbeaten run stretching back to January to secure — at the very least — a place in the Europa League. Champions League football is still not out of the question. Not bad for a club playing in the fourth tier as recently as 2010.
In normal circumstances, Iraola — a former player at City Football Group club New York City FC — would be a candidate to take over from Guardiola. At the moment, though, Enzo Maresca is City’s top choice. The Italian was previously Guardiola’s assistant and has gained top-level Premier League experience at Chelsea.
Guardiola will be a near impossible act to follow, but Maresca is set to inherit a group of players that does not need a lot of work to become title winners again. Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is the primary target to replace Silva, although Bournemouth’s Alex Scott put in a performance on Tuesday that should also make him an option.
Asked about what the future looks like — with or without him in charge — Guardiola stated “next season, we will be back” before quickly correcting himself to say “City will be back.”
“First congratulate Arsenal,” he continued. “Mikel and his backroom staff, the fans, on the Premier League. Well deserved. At the same time, for my managerial career one of the years where we fought the most. We never give up.”
If this is the end — and it’s highly likely that it is — then Guardiola will bow out as City’s greatest ever manager.
Six Premier Leagues in 10 years also puts him firmly in the conversation as one of the best the competition has ever known alongside Manchester United great Sir Alex Ferguson.
Guardiola wasn’t able to end with one last title. He will, however, leave behind the hope that, even without him at the helm, City are capable of reclaiming the trophy from Arsenal at the earliest opportunity.
