Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson believes the club already has Pep Guardiola’s replacement ‘in mind’.
Serial winner Guardiola is being rumoured with a Man City departure at the end of his contract next summer, bringing a potential close to his eight years at the club.
GettyGuardiola brought Ederson to the club early on in his tenure[/caption]
Ederson has been at the Etihad since 2017, but his current contract expires in just under two years in June 2026.
Asked by The Sun if his future depended on who came in next, he said: “No, not at all. Today City is a very well structured club, well managed, great directors, great CEO.
“I believe the club already has the next manager in mind to the day Pep decides to leave, they will try to follow the same line of work.”
Guardiola has won an incredible six Premier League titles with Man City, a feat only bettered by Sir Alex Ferguson, who won 13 with Manchester United.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss also led City to their first ever Champions League trophy to complete their treble-winning season in 2023.
The ex-Barcelona midfielder has also won two FA Cups and four League Cups during his tenure.
But whilst Ederson acknowledges his boss’s potential exit will be a huge loss, he knows the board won’t be resting on their laurels in finding a successor.
“Of course it’d be a great loss,” he said. “We’re talking about the best manager in the world.
“But I see a really well prepared club for the post-Pep era.”
According to The Sun’s report, Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim is a hot tip to take over.
Ederson knows how hard Guardiola will be to replaceGetty
This follows the announcement that his close friend Hugo Viana will move to City as director of football in the summer.
Current director of football Txiki Begiristain will be leaving the Manchester club at the end of the season.
City are amongst those impressed by Xabi Alonso – who turned down taking over at Liverpool after Jurgen Klopp’s departure – and the job he’s done at Bayer Leverkusen.
Guardiola has even tipped his former captain and current Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany to manage City boss at some point in the future.
Asked in an interview during the October international break whether he was set to leave City, Guardiola denied this was the case.
“It’s not true, I haven’t decided yet,” he told Italian television show Che Tempo Che Fa. “If I had decided, I would say it. I don’t know either, anything can happen.”
City are bidding for an unprecedented fifth straight Premier League title and are currently second in the table, a point behind leaders Liverpool.
The champions’ first game back from the October international break sees them face Wolves at Molineux on Sunday.