04/01/2026

SPORTS 14 theSun on Sunday JAN 4, 2026

Guardiola reaffirms City contract

PEP GUARDIOLA has reiterated his desire to stay on at Manchester City despite reports that former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has held talks about potentially taking over at the Etihad. The long-serving City manager, 54, said last month he intended to see out his contract at City, which runs until the end of the 2026/27 season. That followed speculation City had identi fied Maresca, a former assistant of Guardiola’s, as a possible successor to the Spaniard should he decide to step down at the end of

They supported me. “I have one more year’s contract. I like to be here, so we will see, you will see.” Guardiola’s men host Chelsea tomorrow and the City boss admits he is not sure what to expect. “We don’t talk much if we don’t know what the opponent’s going to be like because we don’t know which manager will be sitting (on the bench),” he said. – AFP

incredible manager, incredible person. “But this (is a) decision from the hierarchy from Chelsea, so (I have) nothing to say.” Guardiola added: “I have a contract. I said a thousand million times. It’s 10 years here, I will leave one day but I have a contract. I’m happy. I want to fight with my team. “The hierarchy respect me, that was proved last season with what happened in this club -- we didn’t win one game in two, three months.

this season. Maresca has since parted company with Chelsea – leaving Stamford Bridge on New Year’s Day. It is understood the Italian’s exit came after he informed the club he had held talks with City. Guardiola, who will celebrate the 10th anni versary of his appointment this year, said: “The only (thing) I can say is that Chelsea, I think, from my point of view, lose an incredible,

‘Crazy 24 hours’

Chelsea interim boss McFarlane braces for Cityzen clash

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03/01/2026 (SAT)

CHELSEA interim boss Calum McFarlane was officially introduced to the squad on Friday after a “crazy 24 hours” following Enzo Maresca’s exit, with Manchester City looming. Maresca left his position on Thursday with the club fifth in the Premier League table – 15 points behind leaders Arsenal – following just one win in seven top-flight games. “It’s been a crazy 24 hours, a whirl wind, as you can imagine but also really enjoyable, really exciting, so I can only feel positive about this,” under-21s boss McFarlane said. McFarlane said there was a strong culture of support from the first team for younger players at Chelsea but that he was “officially introduced” to the first team on Friday. “I met with a few of the individuals beforehand but I was officially intro duced this morning,” he told report ers. McFarlane, whose daunting first task is to prepare Chelsea to face sec ond-placed City at the Etihad, said that training on Friday had been “exceptional”. “They seem really focused, really driven and hungry,” he added. “They know we’ve got a massive game on Sunday and we’re going to have to be at our best, so you can feel that. “They’re professionals, they’ve done this a long time, they’ve been here before.” McFarlane said that the Chelsea hierarchy had

succeeding manager Pep Guardiola. During his 18 months in charge at Stamford Bridge, the Italian led Chelsea back into the Champions League and won the Uefa Conference League and Club World Cup. Meanwhile, Strasbourg coach Liam Rosenior – reportedly the first choice target to replace Maresca at Chelsea – said on Friday that he was taking no “notice” of the rumours. Strasbourg are owned by Chelsea’s parent company BlueCo and Rosenior impressed in his first season at the club by guiding the side to a seventh placed finish. “I don’t take notice. If you’re a manager and you take notice of what’s being said in the media, you will probably go crazy,” Rosenior said. “My job is here. I love this club. “Of course, I’m aware that there’s speculation, but I think that’s a reflec tion on the great work that every body’s done at this football club.” However, when pressed by a jour nalist on whether or not he would still be at Strasbourg in six months’ time, Rosenior was more vague. “You cannot guarantee anything in life. In terms of interest from other clubs, I’ve had a lot of interest, a lot of approaches that I have always been open with the club about,” he said. “My focus is always on the job that I am doing. But to say I’m definitely going to be somewhere or definitely going to do something, I don’t think that’s right because in life, things happen.”

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Draw Date: 03/01/26 (Sat)

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Rosenior began his full-time managerial career at Hull City in November 2022, with the team 21st in the Championship having lost 10 of their first 18 matches. They lost only six more that season as he guided them to a 15th-placed finish, improving on that the follow ing season when they came seventh. He then moved to Strasbourg and guided them into Europe in his first sea son. This campaign they are currently seventh

been supportive but that he did not know how long he would be in charge. “The brief is to prepare the lads for Manchester City on Sunday and that’s honestly all I know at the moment,” he said. Maresca’s depar ture came after he reportedly

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held talks with City over

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in Ligue 1 and top of the Europa Conference League group stage. – AFP

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Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane. – AFPPIC