Txiki Begiristain recruits Italian duo for Manchester City service – Pep Guardiola labels pair as ‘best two signings by far’ | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has been keen to credit sporting director Txiki Begiristain for his ‘two best signings by far’, with the two recruits coming off the field.

The 59-year-old director has been at the Etihad Stadium since October 2012, operating in the same capacity as he does at present, overseeing a number of various squad builds and the most successful period in the club’s history.

During Begiristain’s tenure as director of football, Manchester City have won the Premier League on eight occassions, as well as claiming a history treble in 2022/23 season, and appointing Pep Guardiola as manager in 2016.

However, a new report has now detailed how Begiristain’s recruitment extends away from the football pitch, and how his own experiences living in Manchester City centre have impacted the day-to-day operations at the club’s training facility.

That is according to a new report from Paul Hirst of The Times taking a deep dive into City’s 2023/24 season as a whole, Enzo Perreti and Euggenio Santoro – two Italian baristas who worked at a café in Manchester – were recruited by the Premier League champions.

It is detailed that sporting director Txiki Begiristain ‘liked the coffee so much’ that he offered the pair a contract to work at the City Football Academy, and now they serve Pep Guardiola his morning espresso or cappuccino when he arrives for work.

Such is the wealth of expertise at the hands of the Italian duo that it is further revealed they ‘know every coffee order of the Manchester City squad’, with Pep Guardiola admitting, “They are Txiki’s best two signings by far.”

Pep Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain are expected to work very closely once again in the coming weeks as they prepare and refresh the Manchester City squad for what could be their final season operating at the football club together.

Guardiola’s Manchester City contract runs until the end of the 2024/25 season, and the coach has already indicated that while talks over his future are yet to take place, such conversations will be had during the forthcoming campaign.

There is also an understanding, as reported exclusively by City Xtra, that Txiki Begiristain could move away from Manchester City at the same time as Guardiola, despite that date not yet having been decided by anyone within the organisation.