Guardiola’s pursuit of titles is relentless, says City chairman
Manager’s ambition is backed by Al-mubarak Lessons learnt from two previous failed defences
Pep Guardiola’s “relentless” pursuit of success and improvement will ensure Manchester City do not let up next season, the club’s chairman Khaldoon al-mubarak says.
He is convinced that the Premier League champions can get better and that they have learnt some important mistakes from their past two failed title defences.
Manchester United were the last team to defend the title, in 2009, but Al-mubarak feels City are well equipped to build on this season’s dominance, which saw them become the first top-flight club in English history to amass 100 points.
“My expectation and the manager’s expectation is that this team will continue to improve,” he told City TV in his end-of-season interview. “We have a manager in Pep who is relentless. There is not going to be any content or relaxation.
“I have no doubt that this summer we are going to come back and be hungry, more aggressive and continue to grow and improve.”
Asked if City needed to sign better players and change elements of the squad to ensure there is no complacency and drop-off and City could finally mount a serious title defence, Al-mubarak said: “It’s all of the above. We have real experiences, real learnings from how we managed our seasons following the last two times we won the league.
“We’ve worked very hard over the last couple of years to build the squad, not just for this season but for many seasons to come. This is a young squad. Many of our most talented players are under 26.”
City are working on a deal to sign Italy midfielder Jorginho despite the fact Napoli are said to be asking more than £60 million for the player, whom Guardiola wants to provide competition to Fernandinho at the base of midfield.
Guardiola also wants a versatile forward, with numerous options being considered, including Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez. Kylian Mbappe, of Paris St-germain and Chelsea’s Eden Hazard are dream targets but City are conscious of how difficult they would be to sign.
City followed up their 2012 title success with a dismal summer in the transfer market, missing out on Robin van Persie to United and signing Jack Rodwell, Scott Sinclair, Maicon, Javi Garcia and Matija Nastasic, none of whom improved the side. Al-mubarak is adamant they will not make the same misjudgements and would not compromise on quality or disrupt the harmony in the dressing room.
“We’ve had a lot of learnings over the past,” he said. “You don’t get to 100 points without a full, highquality squad. Any additions have to improve the squad. This is my biggest learning from the years of chairing this club. When winning, bringing new players in is a very important decision because you have a winning formula.
“Whatever you’re going to add has to be a decision you don’t take lightly. You have to bring in players that will strengthen, improve and add competition into the squad.”
Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension last week to tie him to City until June 2021. Al-mubarak said negotiations were straightforward. “This was not a hard discussion,” he said.
“We shook hands on it and are happy to continue this journey.”