Two names revealed to be considered as potential Pep Guardiola replacements at Manchester City | OneFootball

A further two names have now come to light as possible replacements for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, should the Catalan leave the club soon.

The 54-year-old is deep into the final year of his Etihad Stadium contract, and while there is serious intention from the reigning Premier League champions to extend his reign as head coach, there remains no further clarity on the situation.

Given the staggering nature of Guardiola’s success across all competitions since taking the job of head coach at Manchester City in the summer of 2016, he has earned the right from the viewpoint of his boardroom colleagues to make a decision on his future in his own time.

Nevertheless, the longer the silence goes on with regards to a decision and the weighing up of options, Manchester City will no doubt draw up possible solutions to turn to in the event of a heartbreaking separation at the end of the ongoing season.

Now, a new report has highlighted two potential names that are likely to be considered and approached as possible successors to arguably the game’s greatest-ever manager, with the task of succeeding him in the Etihad Stadium dugout being sizeable.

According to The Telegraph’s James Ducker, Bayer Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso is likely to be ‘prominent’ in Manchester City’s thinking should manager Pep Guardiola opt to depart the club.

However, it is further highlighted that Sporting CP’s highly-rated tactician Ruben Amorim is one of a number of managers who could come under consideration in such a scenario that would see Gaardiola end a hugely successful career at the Etihad Stadium.

Many may feel that Amorim is the most likely of the two aforementioned names, particularly as Manchester City have now agreed a deal to bring in Sporting CP’s Hugo Viana to replace the outgoing Txiki Begiristain as sporting director.

It is understood that Viana’s appointment as the new director of football at the Etihad Stadium from the summer of 2025 will only be announced after Txiki Begiristain’s exit, with the club wanting to ‘celebrate’ the Spaniard as a crucial part of their project.

Viana has impressed many within the Etihad Stadium for his work at Sporting since taking the job of director of football in 2018, overseeing a number of major arrivals and departures including the recruitment of Manuel Ugarte, Pedro Porro, and Viktor Gyökeres among others.