“Things would be over” – Guillem Balague reveals Txiki Begiristain’s ‘feeling’ on Manchester City exit | OneFootball

BBC Sport’s Guillem Balague has offered fresh insight into Txiki Begiristain’s expected Manchester City exit at the end of the ongoing season.

The 60-year-old is set to bring an end to his 13-year tenure as the reigning Premier League champions’ director of football following the conclusion of the 2024/25 season, in what is likely to be the first of many high-profile successive changes at the top of the club.

It is widely understood that the original plan was for Begiristain to actually step back from day-to-day operations within Manchester City upon turning 55-years-old, but enjoyed working on the project and alongside Pep Guardiola that he extended that stay by a further five years.

There had also been a feeling earlier in the summer that Txiki Begiristain and Pep Guardiola would leave Manchester City at the same time, and while that was understood to be the plan, there is now no guarantee that a double-exit could take place.

Pep Guardiola is unlikely to be blindsided by the exit of Txiki Begiristain given the close nature of their professional and personal relationship, and that is the line that is being reported by one journalist this week detailing the nature of the exit.

Writing for a new release for BBC Sport, columnist Guillem Balague has revealed that people close to director of football Txiki Begiristain “have known things would be over at some point soon” and that he had considered leaving Manchester City before.

Balague has further explained that Txiki Begiristain “feels for him it is the end of an era and it requires new impetus and new people” and is a separate decision to that of Pep Guardiola’s future at the Etihad Stadium.

Additionally, it is further noted that Txiki Begiristain has been part of the decision-making process around his replacement as director of football for the reigning Premier League champions, according to Balague.

The widespread belief in various reports is that Manchester City have already reached an agreement over a successor taking on the role of director of football at the Etihad Stadium from early 2025.

That would then enable the new sporting director to take on an initial six-month period working alongside Txiki Begiristain as he phases out his role, whilst gauging a strong understanding of the organisation and preparing for a crucial summer transfer window.

At present it is understood that Sporting CP’s Hugo Viana is the frontrunner to take on the role of Manchester City director of football, with conversations ongoing between relevant parties with a view towards reaching an agreement.