Txiki Begiristain has just given Man City a new contract priority - even Pep Guardiola agrees

International breaks are normally black holes for Manchester City news. Two days into the October break and the Blues have inflicted a monumental legal victory over the Premier League and now their influential director of football is set to leave.

News broke on Tuesday night of Txiki Begiristain's intention to step down at the end of the season. It comes as no surprise to his colleagues at City, with his plans well-known for a number of years. Begiristain turned 60 in August and is said to be ready for a less-intensive lifestyle.

His potential exit has been a very realistic possibility within the City Football Academy for some time, so City have had time to prepare a succession plan. Indeed, reports say a replacement has already been lined up and will begin work in early 2025, ensuring a transitional period to minimise the disruption of such a key figure.

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The natural question is how Begiristain's exit will impact Pep Guardiola's future. Given how little of a surprise the news will be inside the club, Guardiola will have been aware of his colleague's intention throughout his decision-making process. In that respect, nothing has changed in regard to the factors Guardiola will be weighing up over his own future.

Guardiola has worked without Begiristain before, too. Begiristain left Barcelona two years before Guardiola did, and wasn't at Bayern Munich when Guardiola was there. While City must future-proof their hierarchy for life without Guardiola, any new sporting director must surely be able to work with him