According to a new report from Alex Crook, chief football reporter for British media talkSPORT, Guardiola will leave Manchester City at the end of the season, and his list of successors includes Maresca, Kompany, Fàbregas, Xabi Alonso, Arteta and Amorim.
It is reported that sources in the Northwest region believe that Guardiola will end his 10-year tenure at the Etihad Stadium at the end of this season, during which he has won six Premier League titles and one Champions League title. While Manchester City officials have played down the speculation, they are understood to have begun drawing up a list of potential successors. The list of candidates is as follows:
Maresca
Maresca served as Guardiola's assistant coach for a year before leading Leicester City to the Championship title, after which he was poached by Chelsea. He held talks with Manchester City and Juventus in January, and his departure from Chelsea has not affected his status in the eyes of Manchester City's top management.
He led the team to Champions League qualification and won the Club World Cup and the Europa Conference League, and also understands the internal operations of Manchester City, not only serving as the team's second-in-command, but also coaching the team's youth training team (EDS), where he coached players including Palmer and Delap.
Kompany
During his time as a player, Kompany led Manchester City to numerous titles and is considered one of the best players and captains in the club's history. His playing style was also directly influenced by Guardiola, so on the surface, a return to the Etihad Stadium seems like a perfect choice.
However, Kompany currently coaches one of the best clubs in Europe, Bayern Munich, and only recently renewed his contract earlier this season. He may also be shrewd enough to realize that replacing Guardiola is an almost impossible task, so he may choose to wait to become Guardiola's successor.
Fàbregas
Fàbregas led Como back to Serie A after 21 years, and they are currently competing with teams such as Juventus and Napoli for a Champions League spot. Similar to Manchester City, Como's success is not a fairy tale, but is built on huge transfer spending. In fact, they are the team with the highest net spending in Serie A this season. However, Fàbregas has proven himself to be a shrewd tactician and motivator.
Xabi Alonso
Failure at Real Madrid does not mean he is a bad coach. Alonso still accumulated a lot of experience by coaching Leverkusen's "undefeated season." Manchester City has been closely following Alonso, and if Liverpool parts ways with Slot, Alonso will also be the first choice on Liverpool's transfer list. Being able to appoint Alonso before Liverpool would give Manchester City even greater motivation.
Arteta
Manchester City's top management has always considered Arteta to be a strong candidate to succeed his mentor Guardiola, even during the difficulties he encountered in his early days as Arsenal coach. The relationship between the two has now surpassed that of apprentice, and Arsenal is expected to beat Manchester City in the Premier League standings this season.
Arteta is the highest-paid coach in Arsenal history, and the club plans to renew his contract. Since he has been allowed to build his own team, making Arsenal dominant in English football for years to come, he is unlikely to jump ship.
Amorim
Manchester City fans would certainly not accept letting a coach who was abandoned by Manchester United replace Guardiola. However, Amorim has built a strong working relationship with Manchester City sporting director Viana, winning two Portuguese league titles with Sporting Lisbon, so he should not be completely underestimated, especially since Viana will certainly want to leave his mark on this appointment.