Guardiola, signs of farewell to Manchester City? The ultimatum: "Either you cut the squad or I leave"

Pep Guardiola raises his voice and shakes Manchester City with a message that sounds like an ultimatum. “Either the squad is reduced or I'm leaving”, said the Catalan coach after returning to third place in the standings, implying that managing such a large group is becoming unsustainable, especially on a mental level.

City, with a squad of 28 players at their disposal, not counting loans, are one of the richest and most complete teams on the planet, valued at over €1,3 billion. But despite the quality and depth of the squad, Guardiola does not hide his discomfort at having to regularly exclude five or six players from the team sheet. “I don't want to leave players in the stands every week, I told the club that. If they want me to stay, they will have to reduce the squad”, he explained clearly. A message that weighs, considering that the coach's contract expires in 2027.

The current season has also seen City go through difficult moments, such as the series of five consecutive defeats between October and November, also due to various injuries. Yet, in January the club spent another 200 million to bring home new grafts such as Marmoush, Vitor Reis, Khusanov and Nico González. A luxury that now seems to be backfiring.

Guardiola, known for wanting to maintain total control of the technical management, does not seem willing to tolerate another season with more men in the squad than minutes to distribute. The message to the club is clear: the next market will not only have to buy, but above all to reduce.