Manchester City have officially announced the departure of Director of Football Txiki Begiristain after 13 years at the club, and Sporting CP’s Hugo Viana is going to be the new person in the role.
The statement is made following a very unfortunate 2024–25 season for City as they did not win any trophy and are still being investigated for over 100 alleged breaches of Premier League financial regulations.
Begiristain, who was Guardiola’s teammate at Barcelona, has been the main factor in City’s success this period. He basically did the deal with Guardiola for City in 2016 and even before that he was responsible for his appointment at Barcelona in 2008.
On his leaving, Begiristain said to City Studios: “I told Ferran [Soriano] that I would take care of Pep’s transition for you. Then he renewed again. When he last renewed, I said, ‘Ferran, I can’t do this anymore.’”The club thanked Begiristain for his service and said that they will be having a ceremony for him in September.
The speculation about Guardiola’s staying or going has been fanned by the departure and the fact that the manager’s contract will run out at the end of the 2025–26 season.
The future of the club under Viana and the fate of Guardiola could give shape to the new era at the Etihad.
