1 month ago
15 It was reported on Tuesday that Man City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain is expected to leave the club at the end of this season and the Premier League champions already have his replacement lined up.
Begiristain has been with the Manchester club since 2012 after following City CEO Ferran Soriano to the Etihad from Barcelona.
This move has been key to the success of the Premier League champions over the last decade as the Spaniard’s switch to Manchester played a huge role in helping Man City lure Pep Guardiola to the club.
Begiristain and Guardiola were teammates at Barcelona and whilst technical director of the Catalan giants, the 60-year-old gave the legendary coach his first opportunity in management.
The Athletic reported on Tuesday that after 13 years, Begiristain will leave his role as director of football at the end of the season having originally planned to step back from day-to-day operations when he turned 55, but was so invested in the City project and working alongside Guardiola that he extended that to his 60th birthday.
The report stated that Man City have already reached an agreement to appoint the Spaniard’s replacement and Fabrizio Romano has revealed who it is.
Txiki Begiristain (far left) is leaving Man City at the end of the season. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Txiki Begiristain’s replacement at Man City already identified
With Begiristain leaving Man City, Sporting CP’s director of football Hugo Viana is the Manchester club’s favourite candidate to take over from the 60-year-old, reports Fabrizio Romano.
The Premier League champions highly admire the 41-year-old’s work in Portugal having identified several top players such as Gyokeres, Diomandé and Hjulmand.
The Athletic states that the new director of football at Man City will begin work in early 2025 with Begiristain set to continue with his duties during a handover period for the first six months. The Spaniard will spend time showing Viana the ropes before taking a break from the sport.
