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Pep Guardiola spoke about his future at Manchester City ahead of the Premier League match with West Ham amid speculation that he might leave the Etihad at the end of the season.
There isn't much Pep Guardiola hasn't seen in a decade in charge of Manchester City and a lifetime in football at the top level - so a few questions on his future was hardly going to ruffle the manager's feathers.
Guardiola faced the media on Friday afternoon in the mood of a man who has overseen six wins in a row in three different competitions to underline the quality of his latest City vintage. The Etihad chief was relaxed and conversational as he spoke ahead of the game with West Ham on Saturday.
As talk turned to his future, Guardiola batted away the speculation prompted by reports that City are lining up Chelsea chief Enzo Maresca as a potential replacement for when the Pep Etihad era ends. City sources played down any suggestion the manager could leave at the end of this season, pointing to his contract which runs until the summer of 2027.
And Guardiola was of a similar mind in his exchange with reporters. He spoke of how happy he is at the club, how much pleasure he is getting from seeing his side grow and improve and the prospect of the fruits of that labour unfolding over the coming campaigns. He didn't shut the door completely on leaving at the end of the season but you didn't sense this was a man on the cusp of calling time at the club. If anything, you got the impression that he is reinvigorated by the young team he has assembled and what this squad is capable of achieving.
'Happy' and 'delighted' were two of the adjectives used, while he said the topic of his future and conversations with the City hierarchy were not on the table right now. The club will of course be planning for the post-Pep era and will naturally have candidates in mind, but front and centre of Guardiola's mind is this season, West Ham on Saturday, and maybe a game of golf or two over the festive season.
"I am here," he said. "What's going to happen, who knows? Even if I have 10-year contract or six months, football changes a lot. Now I am focusing on West Ham and then golf after a few days with my dad and that is all."
And that is all, folks. There will always be talk, chatter and rumour, but Guardiola's demeanour and the way he has spoken about his players and the challenge in recent weeks suggest he is a manager in love with his work. He's in love with City and City are in love with him.
The love story will end eventually. When - maybe only the man himself knows. But right now there may well be a new chapter to enjoy.
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