Pep Guardiola insists there’s reason for optimism at Manchester City, despite a troubled campaign that has seen the defending champions reduced to battling for a place in the top four.
Following Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur, a result that boosted their hopes of playing Champions League football next season, the City boss laid out what he believes should be a “bright future” at the Etihad Stadium. (The victory moved them into fourth place, a point above Chelsea, with 11 games remaining.) “The young players and the new acquisitions maybe the club will do in the summertime — in the next transfer window — have to lead this club for the next few years,” he said.
They echoed his comments after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool. “I saw a bright future,” Guardiola told the BBC. “Other than Kevin [De Bruyne] and Nathan [Ake], they are the future of this club in the next years, with others who will come in future windows.
Guardiola and new director of football Hugo Viana — who has replaced the outgoing Txiki Begiristain — are facing a summer rebuild as they plot their way back to the top. There’s a core of established stars to build around and some exciting young players with huge potential, but also decisions to be made on some of the old guard, including Kevin De Bruyne, who is out of contract in the summer.
Ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie vs. Plymouth Argyle (stream LIVE, Saturday, 12:15 p.m., ESPN+), we take a look at the state of City and whether the future is as bright as Guardiola believes.
The untouchables
One nice thing for City is that they’re not starting their rebuild from scratch. Erling Haaland has signed a mammoth contract that runs through 2034, and Phil Foden, who has already racked up more than 300 club appearances before the age of 25, has shown no desire to ever leave the Etihad.
Beyond those two, defender Rúben Dias has been a key part of City’s success since arriving from Benfica in 2020 and is a vocal presence in the squad. He has struggled for form and fitness this season — like many of his teammates — but is still only 27 and a strong character in the dressing room. Dias could take on an even more prominent role if there is an exodus of experienced players in the summer.
There has been a long-held belief by some at City that Rodri would one day be keen to return to Spain, but that talk has died down and there’s hope he will be fully recovered from his knee injury by the time preseason training begins in July and August.
The significant investment in Omar Marmoush in January means he will also be part of City’s future. The Egyptian, signed for £60 million from Eintracht Frankfurt, has made a positive start in a difficult situation after joining an underperforming team midseason.
Legends coming to the end?
This is where Guardiola and Viana will have to make big decisions.
Éderson, Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gündogan and Kevin De Bruyne have been cornerstones of the team that won the treble in 2023 and completed four titles in a row in 2024. But nothing lasts forever, and there are now serious question marks about their futures.
Savinho, Khusanov and Lewis — all starters against Liverpool on Sunday — are only 20, while Reis and Echeverri, two of the most exciting prospects to come out of South America in recent, are still teenagers. The main issue with young players is that there’s always an element of risk.
It’s impossible to tell at 19 or 20 who might be a world-beater by the time they’re 25 or 26. City can only hope that the gambles pay off.
The next generation coming through
City have one of the best academy setups in the country and they currently sit top of Premier League 2 (for under-21s) and the under-18 Premier League north group. Midfielder Nico O’Reilly (19) and defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey (19) have both made appearances this season, while striker Divin Mubama (20) scored against Salford City in the FA Cup in January.
City have been good at moving on young players for big fees, although they turned down a substantial bid from Chelsea for O’Reilly on deadline day in January. The decision might have been influenced by a growing feeling that City missed a trick by not asking for more when Cole Palmer moved to Stamford Bridge in 2023.
And what about Pep in all of this?
The City boss quieted the noise around his own future by signing a contract extension in November. His deal runs until 2027, and he insisted after the Champions League defeat to Real Madrid that he intends to honor it. But it hasn’t stopped nagging questions about whether Guardiola needs the stress that comes with another rebuild. He has achieved everything in England and the only challenge left in management is to lead a national team at a major tournament. After such a grueling campaign and so many problems to navigate, City fans will only feel confident he’s definitely staying when they see him on the training pitch preparing for next season.
