Pep Guardiola told it's time to quit Man City as boss' closest ally drops huge statement

Pep Guardiola has been at Manchester City for nine years, but his former performance analyst Carles Planchart believes he should consider his future - and he has a clear reason for his feelings

Pep Guardiola should leave Manchester City to "regenerate" and seek a "new project", his former performance analyst Carles Planchart says.

The Spaniard has been at the helm of the Etihad Stadium since 2016, when he took over from Manuel Pellegrini as the club's head coach. He has led City to six Premier League titles during his tenure, including four consecutive ones from the 2020/21 season through to the 2023/24 season.

In addition to this, Guardiola secured City's first-ever Champions League trophy in June 2023 and has claimed numerous other major honours, including two FA Cups and four Carabao Cups. In total, the 54-year-old has chalked up 382 wins and 79 draws from his 543 matches in charge.

However, Planchart, who collaborated with Guardiola for 18 years across stints at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City before departing his role at the end of last season, believes he needs to take a step back if he wishes to extend his managerial career.

Guardiola's contract with City is due to run out in 2027 and he has previously expressed a desire to take a break from football once he departs the Manchester club - a move that Planchart would support.

"It's a personal decision he'll have to make. I think a project should last five or six years, no more," Planchart told SPORT. "But not for him, for everyone. Afterward, you have to regenerate. As a friend, I would tell him to look for a new project because he still has a long way to go.

"This is why he's been at City for so many years: they've treated us like family, they've let us work as if we were at home. He didn't feel that way at Barca or Bayern.

"He's a football fanatic. His life is on the green, on the grass. He's a genius, a creator. His greatest strength is how he invents football. The difficult thing in this life is creating; the rest of us are copycats. He's number one at this."

There was chatter last season suggesting Guardiola was losing his touch. At one point, City had a spell where they secured just one victory in 13 matches, marking the worst run of form in his managerial career.

Reflecting on the previous season, where City finished third in the Premier League and showed improvement towards the end of the campaign, Planchart said: "Sometimes you lack energy, and when you get into a bad dynamic, it's hard.

"In football, you always have to be at 100%. We had injuries, people were at the end of their careers. There was a drop in performance, even among the staff.

"The lack of energy forced us to fight just to get into the Champions League, and it was an achievement. We also lost the cup final; it was punishment for a poor season."

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