Manchester City once again created history this season, becoming the first team to win the Premier League on 4 straight occasions. The club has seen a stunning rise since its takeover by the UAE firm in 2009, but more so after the arrival of its boss Pep Guardiola. However, there have been a few leaks and murmurs that the Spanish mastermind may call it quits next year.

While these speculations wouldn’t please the Cityzens, a former official of their rival club has revealed the motive behind speculations of Guardiola’s probable departure. This comes after a Member of Parliament from the UK called out the Premier League for handling the Financial Fair Play (FFP) allegations against City differently than others.

Manchester City’s reputation is hanging by a thin thread after FFP accusations against them. Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness reckons Pep Guardiola might want to leave City as a precaution even if the FFP verdict doesn’t go against the club, and the leaks might be a part of the planned separation. Speaking on the Inside Track podcast, Wyness said, “This makes sense that something like this would leak out if it’s gonna be a planned separation between Guardiola and the club, and nothing to do with 115 charges. So that makes sense from a PR point of view.”

Even earlier there were talks about the Spanish manager leaving the club on the completion of his contract in the summer of 2025. Guardiola himself stated on the last game-day of the Premier League that he was closer to leaving City than staying, fueling the speculations even further. Wyness suggested that Guardiola’s departure from City might also happen because of football reasons as he is reaching the end of his project and might need a fresh challenge.

Pep Guardiola and Manchester City’s reputation at stake with FFP charges

Wyness emphasized that Guardiola is a ‘pure football man,’ and he ‘wants to maintain his position as a great manager which he undoubtedly is’. Foreseeing the headline the club would receive if they were found guilty, he might want to leave. A British MP Caroline Dinenage also lashed out at Manchester City and the Premier League for the delay in the investigation against City. The MP pointed out injustice to clubs like Everton which suffered a deduction of points immediately, while the Sky Blues got more time. Everton suffered a deduction of 10 points in 2021-22 for breaching Profitability and Sustainability rules. It was later reduced to 6 points on appeal.

Meanwhile, last season’s treble winners are facing 115 charges in total, both by the Premier League and the UEFA. These charges include complaints of not providing accurate and up-to-date financial information on the revenue and the salaries of the players and the managers from 2009-10 to 2017-18. The club also faces an accusation of not complying with Premier League’s investigations since 2018 leaving many questions unanswered. But can the English champions come out guilt-free? Let us know in the comments.