The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Guardiola signs on for more
Manchester City manager extends stay by two years
Pep Guardiola has committed to Manchester City for the next three years, the Premier League champions have announced.
The City manager has signed a twoyear extension to his existing contract, which had one year left to run, taking him to 2021.
City had been keen to secure the services of the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss after an outstanding season in which he won the title with a record 100 points and the Carabao Cup.
“I am so happy and excited. It’s a pleasure to be able to work here,” Guardiola said. “I enjoy working with our players every day and we will try to do our best together in the coming years.
“As a manager, you have to feel good to be with the players – and I feel good.
“I will focus on the desire of my players to become a better team and every day that’s what I will try to do – to improve on the pitch and improve our players.
“We have a young squad with an average age of 23 and we want to keep taking steps forward and maintain the levels we’ve achieved this season.”
Guardiola’s new deal comes after City scored a record 106 Premier League goals and won the competition by its biggest margin, with a 19-point advantage over second-placed Manchester United.
By the time Guardiola’s contract comes to an end he will have spent five years in charge at the Etihad Stadium – longer than his tenures at the Nou Camp and Allianz Arena.
The new arrangement has been concluded swiftly within four days of City’s season ending.
Throughout the second half of the campaign Guardiola, 47, had said he did not intend to discuss his future until the summer.
He had long been a target of City before they eventually appointed him in the summer of 2016. The Spaniard arrived boasting a glittering managerial CV, including two Champions League titles, three LaLiga successes and three Bundesliga triumphs.
This season’s Premier League and League Cup wins have taken the number of trophies he has won as a manager to 23. Guardiola has won 77 of his 113 games in charge at City since his 2016 appointment – a win ratio of more than 68%.
The 32 league wins he managed this season are the most he has achieved in a single campaign, beating the 31 with Barcelona in 2009-10.