Txiki Begiristain to leave director of football role at Manchester City: What we know so far | OneFootball

Following a number of days centred around legal proceedings and a battle within the Premier League involving Manchester City, the big stories continue to emerge.

Tuesday evening brought about widespread reports revealing that Txiki Begiristain would be leaving his role as director of football at the end of the ongoing season, bringing an end to a 13-year tenure at the Etihad Stadium.

The exit of the 60-year-old will likely mark the beginning of the end of the Pep Guardiola era at the club, with Manchester City preparing themselves for the next phase of their illustrious history, and ensuring that the club remains successful across all fronts.

Alongside the hunt for a new director of football to largely oversee recruitment proceedings and transfer activity at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City will simultaneously be hunting for their new head coach and the best talents to strengthen their playing squad.

But whilst the nature of Txiki Begiristain’s exit appears to be relatively straightforward, a number of questions continue to loom around the situation including who comes next, does it impact Pep Guardiola’s future, and how will the changeover occur.

As such, here is everything we know so far about Txiki Begiristain’s exit from his role as Manchester City sporting director!

Will Txiki Begiristain’s exit have an impact on the future of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City?

As reminded by The Telegraph’s James Ducker, Txiki Begiristain is ‘extremely close’ with Pep Guardiola, both personally and professionally. However, the Manchester City manager has ‘known for a long time’ this decision was coming.

It is further stated, as per sources, that Begiristain’s departure from the Etihad Stadium is not expected to have a significant bearing on whether Pep Guardiola stays or goes at the end of the ongoing season.

Is Txiki Begiristain’s exit linked to Manchester City’s ongoing legal battles with the Premier League?

As clarified by The Telegraph’s James Ducker, Txiki Begiristain’s decision to leave Manchester City is in no way related to the verdict over the club’s Associated Party Transaction rules battle, or their ongoing case involving the elusive 115 charges.

How long have Manchester City known about Txiki Begiristain’s exit?

According to the information of The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Begiristain had originally planned to step back from day-to-day operations at Manchester City when he turned 55-years-old.

However, it is stated he became so invested in the City project and working alongside Pep Guardiola that he extended that to his 60th birthday. Having hit the landmark in August, it is stated the decision was made with full knowledge and endorsement of the club’s hierarchy.

When will Manchester City’s new sporting director begin his new role at the Etihad Stadium?

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Manchester City are believed to have already reached an agreement to appoint a replacement, who is due to start in ‘early 2025’.

Who will replace Txiki Begiristain at Manchester City?

As first revealed by The Sun newspaper, and while the identity of the club’s new football director has not been revealed, it is understood Txiki Begiristain’s replacement is a well-known individual currently employed by another major European club.

Follow-up reporting from The Telegraph’s James Ducker explains that Begiristain himself has played a prominent role in the recruitment of his successor.

Among the names mentioned in the same report is FC Porto’s Andoni Zubizarreta, a former Barcelona and Spain team-mate of both Begiristain and Pep Guardiola, who also his admirers at Manchester City. However, it remains to be seen if he has been spoken to.

Additionally, the report points out that the same scenario applies to Girona sporting director Quique Carcel, although there is an expectation he will remain with the recently-qualified UEFA Champions League club.

Further information revealed by Fabrizio Romano has also revealed that Sporting CP’s current director of football, Hugo Viana is Manchester City’s ‘favourite candidate’ to replace Txiki Begiristain.

Could Txiki Begiristain change his mind about leaving Manchester City?

According to the information of The Athletic’s Sam Lee, Txiki Begiristain is unlikely to change his mind, instead set on spending more time with family and ‘everything else’ that comes with retirement, plus ‘maybe a bit of consultancy work’.