Pep Guardiola's contract extension at Manchester City bad news for Premier League title rivals, says Joe Cole
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Updated 23/11/2024 at 13:06 GMT
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Pep Guardiola announced he is staying at Manchester City until at least 2027 after previously hinting he could leave the Etihad Stadium, and Joe Cole and Peter Crouch told TNT Sports that the news will dampen the spirits of their Premier League rivals. Four successive defeats have clipped the wings of Guardiola's side, but they remain in contention in the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.
'If relegated, I will be here' - Guardiola on new Man City contract
Video credit: SNTV
Pep Guardiola's two-year contract extension at Manchester City spells bad news for the rest of their Premier League rivals, according to Joe Cole and Peter Crouch.
Guardiola's side have suffered four consecutive defeats, though the Catalan hinted that slump may have played a part in his decision to extend.
Cole reacted to the news ahead of Chelsea's trip to Leicester City – live on TNT Sports and discovery+ – while rival bosses Arne Slot and Eddie Howe have already hailed Guardiola's continued presence in England until at least 2027.
"I would not say it was a surprise, this makes sense to me," Cole said. "For the first time in probably a decade there is a wobble at the club; we know the story with the sanctions.
"And I think it has probably invigorated Pep Guardiola. I think it is something that has given him a little challenge. Because it has been a machine of winning and all of a sudden now there is a bump in the road and I think he has seen it as a challenge.
"And I think they have gone to him and gone, 'we need some stability to navigate us through this era', and I think it is smart for everyone. If he is loving what he is doing and Man City clearly love him, I think it makes sense. And all the other teams in the top four or five will have seen that news, and it will have made them a little bit sad because the main man is not going."
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'Made them a little bit sad' - Man City's Premier League rivals warned after Guardiola extension
Video credit: TNT Sports
Manchester City were unbeaten in their first 15 games of the 2024/25 season in all competitions, until a League Cup loss to Tottenham at the end of October kick-started an unusual slide for the reigning champions.
Bournemouth and Brighton inflicted shock defeats in the league, while Ruben Amorim's Sporting CP hammered Guardiola's side 4-1 in the Portuguese's penultimate game before taking the helm at Manchester United.
Guardiola has changed football in England
Despite Manchester City's recent struggles, they are only five points behind Liverpool in the Premier League and sit just outside the all-important top eight in the UEFA Champions League as Guardiola chases his fourth European crown as a manager.
The Citizens are four points ahead of Chelsea and Arsenal with their city rivals outside the top half of the table, but Crouch believes Guardiola's influence has gone beyond the professional game.
"It is the worst possible news for everyone around, apart from Man City," Crouch said. "You know what he has done as a manager, all across wherever he has been – in Germany, certainly in Spain and in England as well.
"He is changing the way people are playing football in parks, in Sunday league. He has changed the dynamic of the way we look at football, and he has been a serial winner doing that.
"As a manager, you look at the team and infrastructure around you, where else can he go? You have got absolutely everything. He has built the foundations. The only reason he would leave is if he needed a break."
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