Guardiola agrees to extend his stay with Manchester City

PEP Guardiola has ended speculation over his future by signing a new two-year contract at Manchester City, extending what is already his longest spell in charge of a single club.

As he neared the final seven months of his existing contract, Guardiola used the international window to mull over his future and commit to staying at the Etihad Stadium until the summer of 2023 - a timeframe that would take the 49-year-old to seven years in Manchester.

“Ever since I arrived at Manchester City I have been made to feel so welcome in the club and in the city itself - from the players, the staff, the supporters, the people of Manchester and the chairman and owner,” Guardiola said.

“The challenge for us is to continue improving and evolving and I am very excited about helping Manchester City do that.”

Guardiola has won two Premier League titles, one FA Cup and three League Cups with City, though the prize the club covets the most - the Champions League - has so far eluded them.

They finished 18 points adrift of Liverpool last season as defensive problems surfaced, and have made a relatively slow start to this campaign with 12 points from the opening seven games.

Meanwhile, Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has called for the Saturday lunchtime kick-offs to be scrapped. The Blues travel to Newcastle for a 12.30pm clash this weekend, but several of Lampard’s players were only due back from international duty yesterday afternoon.

Lampard said: “When you look at the scheduling, for me it is just a common sense factor. I think the broadcasters have never had as many slots for games as they have now. That 12.30pm slot, how much does it need to be there?”