Manuel Pellegrini new contract: Manchester City manager admits he is still not protected from sack

Pep Guardiola has been linked with replacing the Chilean

Manuel Pellegrini (GETTY IMAGES)

Manuel Pellegrini last night acknowledged that, although he has signed a new two-year contract at Manchester City, it does not end the possibility of Pep Guardiola taking over at the Etihad Stadium.

Because of the close relationship City’s chief executive, Ferran Soriano, and their director of football, Txiki Begiristain, have with Guardiola, City want him to move to the Etihad once his contract with Bayern Munich expires in June. Coincidentally, Pellegrini’s contract ran to exactly the same length.

By signing an extension just before the season opens, City have indicated that their future does not entirely revolve around enticing Guardiola to Manchester, while rewarding a man who has led them to first and second place in the Premier League.

Aware of the catastrophic decline in Manchester United’s fortunes when Sir Alex Ferguson announced he would be retiring at the end of the 2001-02 season, they have strengthened Pellegrini’s position.

Nevertheless, as someone who was fired by Real Madrid after finishing second in La Liga with 96 points, Pellegrini understands football’s realities. “Pep Guardiola is a manager every team will want,” he said. “Maybe he is more linked with this team because of the relationship he has with Txiki and Ferran. I trust them and I am sure that, if they want to bring him in, they will tell me. I have no problem with my relations inside the club because I know exactly how the owners think.

“I would like to be here a long time but it is impossible to know. One year ago there were some important managers like Carlo Ancelotti, who had won the Champions League, and now they are not at the same team.

“In football, you never know how long the contract will last. You could sign for 10 years and then, after four months, you could be sacked.”