Pep Guardiola forecast to leave Man City following Premier League charges

Pep Guardiola's long-term Manchester City future has been plunged into doubt after the Premier League charged the club with numerous alleged breaches of financial rules.

The news broke on Monday morning, with the Citizens accused of severe breaches of the leagues financial protocol. The alleged breaches are believed to have taken place between the 2009/10 season and the 2017/18 season.

It isn't the first time that the club have been accused of financial wrongdoing, with the club seeing a two-year European football ban overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport back in 2020 after successfully appealing against a UEFA ruling for "serious breaches" of licensing and FFP regulations.

Guardiola stood by the club throughout the process, but the Spaniard has previously threatened to leave the club if he was lied to about any financial wrongdoing.

Are Pep's Manchester City days numbered?

The bookmakers have been quick to react to the news of Manchester City's charges, with Guardiola now among the favourites to be the next Premier League manager to leave their position.

At the time of writing, Betfair have Guardiola as short as 11/2 to be the next Premier League manager to leave, whilst SkyBet have suspended betting on the same market on their site.

Betfair have gone one step further with their markets, offering odds of 1/2 for Pep Guardiola to leave Manchester City before their first league match in the 2023/24 season. He is a 6/4 shot to remain in charge of the club for the same fixture.

Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension with the club in November, a deal which is set to keep him at the club until 2025.

On top of his departure, the former Barcelona boss is also 3/1 to re-join the Catalan giants as his next job in football, with Newcastle next up at 4/1, should he decide he can only manage clubs owned by oil rich nations.

He could take over from Gareth Southgate as England boss, at 8/1, but fans believe that he'll actually take charge at Stamford Bridge in the future.

Manchester City issue statement

Manchester City have reacted to the charges via an official club statement which was released on Monday afternoon.

The club state that they are "surprised by the issuing of these alleged breaches of Premier League Rules."

The statement later adds that "the club welcomes the review of this matter by an independent Commission, to impartially consider the comprehensive body of irrefutable evidence that exists in support of its position."