In seismic news for the defending Premier League champions, Manchester City’s, director of football, Txiki Begiristain, has announced that he will be leaving the club at the end of the current season.
In his 12 years with the Citizens, Manchester’s other team has dominated English football winning seven Premier League including the famed treble in the 2022/23 season.
Begiristain (pictured), a former, highly accomplished player with Real Sociedad and Barcelona amongst others has been attached to the hip with, City boss, Pep Guardiola almost his entire career, and was instrumental in Guardiola joining the City project in 2016.
The timing of his departure has certainly raised eyebrows. With City facing 115 charges related to the breaching of financial rules which may include possible unprecedented financial penalties, a massive points deduction and even expulsion from the Premier League, Begiristain’s move could look like he’s jumping ship.
An added headache for City is that the clock is ticking on Guardiola’s contract. He has praised Begiristain many times saying, “we work together incredibly well. When we win, we try to analyze why. When we lose, we try to analyze why. We don’t judge the other one. We both work for the best of the club.”
With Guardiola potentially leaving the club at the end of the season, City are facing the loss of the two most important cogs in their off-field operations.
Not wanting to be caught unprepared, they have made a move by hiring Hugo Viana who is the current director of football with Portuguese giants, Sporting Lisbon. He will shadow, Begiristain, over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition to taking over full-time in June.
Viana has had great success in this role and has developed a reputation as someone who can recognize talent and has made the club a lot of money in the transfer market. The Academy programme at Sporting is widely lauded as one of the best in world football.
Perhaps, more importantly, Viana also has Premier League experience having played with Newcastle United becoming the most expensive teenage signing when he joined the club from Sporting for £8.5 million in 2002.
