A stunning report claims Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City at the end of the season.
Guardiola inspired Man City to FA Cup glory against Chelsea on Saturday. He takes charge of his side’s final fixture of the 2025/26 campaign on Sunday against Aston Villa.
And, according to The Daily Mail, Guardiola’s game against Villa will be his final in charge of Man City.
Pep Guardiola to ‘Stand Down’ as Man City Manager
The report claims Guardiola will “stand down” as Man City manager after Sunday’s league clash and states it is thought that the club have begun to tell their “sponsor partners that the announcement is imminent.”
The news has also been an open secret among some of those close to Guardiola.
It is suggested that the news will be confirmed “some time on Sunday” in time for Man City’s open-top bus parade in Manchester next Monday.
He was appointed Man City manager in 2016 and has won an impressive 20 trophies during his legendary spell at the Etihad.
Guardiola, who has one year left on his existing deal, has led the Blues to six league titles and inspired the club’s first-ever Champions League triumph as part of their treble campaign in 2023.
Leading Candidates to Replace Pep Guardiola at Man City
Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany
Per the report, Enzo Maresca and Vincent Kompany are the leading candidates to replace Guardiola.
Maresca, who left Chelsea at the start of the year, worked under the 55-year-old at Man City before becoming a full-time coach. As for Kompany, he played under the Spaniard and is the current Bayern Munich boss.
Ugly scenes marred the closing moments of the World Cup final, as tempers boiled over between Argentina and Spain players on the pitch once the full-time whistle blew.
Players and coaches from both camps got involved in an attempt to defuse everything, with a host of separate incidents taking place over the course of three minutes.
“With a heavy heart for not having been able to bring home the cup that we all deserved, but with pride bursting at the seams for this jersey, for my teammates, the coaching staff, the executives, the medical team, the cooks, the kit men, and every single person who was involved to make all of this work in the best possible way.”
He continued: “I want to congratulate Spain on their well-deserved title. We defended our colours far beyond the pitch and shared unforgettable moments with the National Team, alongside our families and with the unwavering support of all Argentinians.
“Remember that ‘the fall of the great is the joy of the mediocre’.”
“Thank you all so much. Let’s take care of our country. I love you, Argentina!”
REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian
The freshly surfaced clip appears to show Martinez himself getting physically involved, with footage suggesting the Manchester United defender ‘punched’ Spain midfielder Gavi in the face.
The moment came after Leandro Paredes threw the 20-year-old Barcelona man to the ground, which had already caused enough chaos in itself.
See the incident between Lisandro Martinez and Gavi below:
With the video gaining traction online, scrutiny on Argentina’s conduct after the final looks set to intensify further, adding yet another unwanted moment to an already chaotic post-match scene.
Police in England and Wales are pushing for extra funding to help manage matchday disorder, and the case for it just got stronger.
According to the Home Office, arrestable incidents were logged at 1,644 fixtures in England and Wales during the 2025-26 season, the highest total recorded since the UK Football Policing Unit began tracking the figures in 2017-18.
Some of the country’s biggest Premier League clubs feature prominently on the list, and the gap between several of them is narrow, painting a picture of an issue that isn’t confined to any one corner of the game. Here’s how every club in the top ten compares.
10. Tottenham Hotspur – 52 arrests
Spurs round out the bottom of the list with 52 football-related arrests across the 2025/26 season. Not the number any club wants to have attached to their name, but being the best of a bad bunch in this situation isn’t something to shout about.
9. Liverpool – 52 arrests
Liverpool are tied with Tottenham on 52 arrests, but edge higher due to the larger number of banning orders among their fans. For a club with one of the largest travelling fanbases in the country, it’s a figure that will raise concerns despite sitting at the lower end of this list.
8. Portsmouth – 55 arrests
Action Images/Paul Childs
Portsmouth’s inclusion stands out as they are one of only two clubs outside the Premier League’s usual big-city clubs to feature prominently, with 55 arrests recorded over the season.
7. Leeds United – 59 arrests
Leeds United’s return to the top-flight has come with 59 football-related arrests, a reminder of the intensity that runs through the club’s fans regardless of division.
6. Everton – 62 arrests
Jason Cairnduff via Reuters
Everton sit on 10 more arrests than Liverpool with 62, meaning the two Merseyside clubs combine for 114 arrests when their respective stadiums sit less than two miles apart.
5. Millwall – 63 arrests
Millwall’s reputation precedes them at times, and 63 arrests this season keep that narrative alive, placing them fifth on the list. With bitter rivals West Ham now playing Championship football next season, this number could easily inflate for Millwall by this time next year, as well as see West Ham enter the list, who currently hold the most banning orders of any club in England and Wales (121).
4. Arsenal – 66 arrests
Titleholders Arsenal racked up 66 arrests, reflecting the scale of their fanbase and the number of high-profile fixtures they’ve been involved in across the last season, both in the Premier League and Champions League.
3. Manchester United – 67 arrests
Manchester United sit third with 67 arrests, a figure that comes as little surprise given the size and reach of their support both home and away, with almost 18% of their fanbase coming from London.
2. Chelsea – 76 arrests
Chelsea take second spot, and with it the most in London with 76 arrests, some way clear of Man Utd, but still miles behind the club at the very top of this list.
1. Manchester City – 102 arrests
Reuters/Jason Cairnduff
Manchester City top the table by some distance, with 102 football-related arrests recorded across the 2025-26 season, well over a third more than second-placed Chelsea. To make matters worse for City, the club also sit behind West Ham in second overall for the most banning orders racked up, with 86.
Olivia Buzaglo and Ben Jacobs are live with the latest edition of Market Madness, bringing you breaking transfer news, expert insight and all the biggest talking points from across football.
