Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain is set to leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of the 2024/25 season, throwing fresh doubt on Pep Guardiola's long-term future with the Premier League champions.
A report by The Athletic that broke the story claimed former Barcelona winger Begiristain intended to stand down after his 55th birthday before extending that to his 60th so he could continue to work alongside Guardiola in Manchester.
Begiristain reached that milestone in August and the coming months will bring a countdown to the end of an era at City. It remains to be seen how big that ending will be.
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What is Pep Guardiola's relationship with Txiki Begiristain?
Begiristain joined City in 2012 and was instrumental in securing Guardiola's services in 2016.
The two were teammates in Johan Cruyff's "Dream Team" at Barcelona and remained firm friends.
Guardiola had only been Barcelona B coach for a year when Begiristain — then director of football at Camp Nou — made the bold call of putting him in charge of the first team ahead of more experienced candidates, such as Jose Mourinho in 2008.
A glorious era of success followed, with three consecutive La Liga titles and two UEFA Champions Leagues.
Begiristain and his old Barca ally Ferran Soriano, now CEO at City, initially sounded Guardiola out over a move to Manchester in 2012. At that time he opted for Bayern Munich following a sabbatical during the 2012/13 campaign but, after Manuel Pellegrini's three years at City, Begiristain got his man.
Despite a trophyless first season in England, Guardiola has presided over a record-breaking period of success. City have won six of the previous seven Premier League titles, including the past four in a row. Six domestic cups have also been hoisted and the club ended its long wait for Champions League glory when they beat Inter Milan 1-0 in the 2023 final.
Will Pep Guardiola stay at Man City?
Guardiola has worked without Begiristain as his director of football before during the final two of his four years at Barcelona and for the entirety of his time at Bayern. Doing so again is certainly not out of the question.
At the same time, Guardiola's alliance with his old friend has been a key element of the near-perfect working environment he enjoys at City. This is his ninth season at the club, more than double the amount of time he has spent managing any other team.
Guardiola’s current contract at City expires at the end of this season and, were more trophies to be won, the idea of him and Begiristain wandering off into the sunset together has a narrative completeness to it.
The 53-year-old has signed his previous two two-year extensions during the November international breaks of 2020 and 2022. If this is anything to go by, a decision is near at hand and City fans displayed a banner in his native Catalan imploring Guardiola to stay ahead of the Premier League home game against Fulham on October 4.
Guardiola expressed gratitude for the gesture but remained non-commital on his future. A report by The Daily Mail in May this year said City were making succession plans on the assumption this season would be their manager's last.
Who will replace Txiki Begiristain at Man City?
The Athletic reported that City's hierarchy were similarly aware of Begiristain's intentions, so the news that broke on Tuesday does not come as a surprise to them.
The report claimed an agreement is in place for Begiristain's replacement to begin work at City in early 2025, during which time there will be a handover period with their predecessor.
Although no names were attached to the incoming hire, The Sun reported Begiristain has played a key role in identifying his successor who is "a well-known individual currently employed by another major European club".
