Stefan Borson: Man City face 'big' problem if Pep exit is finalised

Manchester City will want to avoid a similar situation to when Sir Alex Ferguson left Manchester United following the speculation around Pep Guardiola’s future.

That is the view of former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider it would be a “very big” issue for the Premier League champions if some high-level figures followed Guardiola out the door – just like former Man United CEO David Gill did when Ferguson stepped down at Old Trafford.

The Catalan’s deal is due to expire in June 2025 and Etihad chiefs are keen to tie him down to an extension.

Sources have told Football Insider Guardiola could be about to start his final season at the club amid new speculation over his future.

That has raised questions about CEO Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain, who have both worked with Guardiola throughout his time at Man City and previously at Barcelona.

Man City will want to prevent mass exodus if Pep Guardiola leaves

But Borson has insisted it’s “very unlikely” the club would allow a mass exodus to occur even if those key figures wanted to leave.

“I just think from a planning perspective City would have worked on the basis that they need to make sure that doesn’t happen all at once,” Borson told Football Insider.

“It did happen at United all at once when Gill left at the same time as Ferguson. In many ways, United have suffered the consequences of that for 10 years.

“It is a big issue. But given the people that are involved with the club on a regular basis, it seems very unlikely to me that they would allow that succession issue to occur all in one go.

“I think they would make sure that they manage it out over a smooth period even if those people want to leave.

“We don’t know whether they do or not. It may be that Soriano and Begiristain are not necessarily aligned in their aspirations to leave Manchester.

“We will see over time, but I think good planning would mean you would not allow that to happen.

“That would be a very big issue for the club.”

In other news, Man City ready to sell first-team star as new concerns emerge.

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