Manchester City’s sporting director alternative to Hugo Viana revealed as deal agreed | OneFootball

Officials at the Etihad Stadium had their eye on one other potential sporting director replacement to Txiki Begiristain prior to moving ahead with Hugo Viana.

Sporting CP’s current director of football is understood to be on the verge of finalising an agreement that will see him take on the reigns left by Begiristain at the end of the ongoing season, after a stellar 13-year tenure at the Etihad Stadium.

Txiki Begiristain is widely understood to be integral to the success of Manchester City under both Manuel Pellegrini and Pep Guardiola, recruiting a wide range of successful talents ranging from Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva, to Fernandinho and Ilkay Gundogan.

Manchester City have had plenty of time to weigh up their options when it comes to a successor to Begiristain’s position, with the belief being that the 60-year-old had been eyeing an exit from day-to-day activities over the last five years.

And while it appears as though their sights have been firmly set and negotiations are close to coming to an end with a successful conclusion, one report has pointed towards another option for Manchester City prior to Viana.

That is according to the information of ESPN’s Rob Dawson, who reveals that officials at Manchester City had also ‘looked closely’ at Girona’s current sporting director, Quique Carcel before ultimately pursuing a deal for Sporting CP’s Hugo Viana.

As for Viana, the former professional footballer spent time during his playing career at all of Sporting, Newcastle United, and Valencia, whilst also claiming 29 caps for the Portugal national team between 2001 and 2012.

Having been appointed as Sporting’s director of football back in 2018, and going on to help the club win the Portuguese title in 2021 and 2024, Viana is widely credited for the successful pursuit of current head coach Ruben Amorim in 2020.

Some have already speculated that after widespread interest from across the Premier League, whether Amorim could emerge as a potential candidate to replace Pep Guardiola as Manchester City manager beyond his own tenure at the club.

A decision on Pep Guardiola’s future remains unknown at present, with Manchester City handing the 54-year-old the time and space to come to a conclusion on future plans in private supported by those close to him.