“Do you want to fire me?”
Star trainer reacts to rumors – and talks himself into a rage
January 3, 2026 – 9:31 a.mReading time: 2 minutes
Pep Guardiola defends himself against speculation about a possible replacement as coach. He reiterates his commitment to City.
Manchester City star coach Pep Guardiola has responded to rumors that Enzo Maresca, who was fired from Chelsea, could be his successor – this summer. Guardiola once again referred to his contract until 2027: “I have a contract. I have said a thousand million times: I am happy. I want to fight with my team,” emphasized the Catalan in the English media.
Maresca and club world champions Chelsea parted ways on New Year’s Day. According to media reports, the Italian’s alleged conversations with Manchester City were among the reasons for the separation. There had previously been speculation that Maresca could inherit Guardiola in the summer.
“You definitely have more information than me. Why should I tell you something about an opinion that I know nothing about?” Guardiola said to the media, before adding: “It’s just a rumor. I’m sorry, but I won’t answer that. Do you want to fire me?”
The 54-year-old took over the “Cityzens” for the 2016/17 season. Guardiola emphasized that the club management supported him: “That was shown last season when we didn’t win a single game for two or three months.”
In his opinion, Chelsea are losing “an incredible, incredible coach and an incredible person” with Maresca’s exit, but that’s the only thing he can say about it.
Manchester, which is in second place four points behind Arsenal FC, will face Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday (from 6.30 p.m. in the t-online live ticker). For the time being, U21 coach Calum McFarlane has taken over as interim coach for the “Blues”.