World Cup: Opportunity for Pep Guardiola to Sort Out Manchester City Future

Heading into the game against Leicester City Pep Guardiola was asked once again in the pre-match press conference about his contract situation with Manchester City. On whether he has already signed the contract he simply replied, “Not yet.”

He has had a very productive time at the Etihad Stadium. Four Premier League titles in six years means the 51-year-old manager has outperformed his league record in each of his two previous jobs with Barcelona and Bayern Munich. This is also the first time he is spending more than four years at a club.

However, this highly successful period in Manchester could come to an end if he does not renew his current deal. His contract with the club is set to expire at the end of the season and so far there have been no updates concerning a renewal.

Although the Catalan boss has expressed his desire to continue on the job if both parties feel right and reach an agreement on a contract extension, there has not been an update on progress with regards to talks or whether he is close to signing.

He seems to be preoccupied with the job at hand leaving no time to trash out the contract issues. But with the World Cup just a few weeks away, that can no longer be an excuse. Not only will he have enough time to think things through, both parties will have sufficient time to hold discussions and reach an agreement.

The Global showpiece due to be held in Qatar kicks off on November 20. It will run for about a month, the final taking place on December 18. League football take a break during the period as all eyes and they will be focused on how national teams fare in the tournament

The break offers a unique opportunity to settle issue. That will be important to plan for the future whether with or without him. Waiting until the end of the season before making a decision could put the club in a difficult position finding the right manager on short notice.

That is capable of unsettling the squad or leaving the players ill-prepared for the new season.

Man City’s success in the last few years has not just been down to Guardiola, as much as the manager has played a huge role. The club’s success has also been due to good planning and management.

The World Cup break provides a good opportunity to settle this all important issue. That would bode well for the stability of the team and continuous progress under the manager.