And at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s resumption of Premier League action away at Tottenham Hotspur, Guardiola talked of how thankful he was for the support he has received from chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, CEO Ferran Soriano, director of football Txiki Begiristain and the Club as a whole.
“I am so grateful to the Club. I say thanks for extending my contract,” Guardiola declared.
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“They are the reason I am still here. They gave me a lot these four or five seasons. We want to continue to do our best as well as possible.
“I spoke a lot with the CEO, with Txiki and Khaldoon. We analysed what we could do and everybody knows how difficult it is to win everything.
“All the managers in the big clubs are here to win the titles. I am no exception.
“We have done incredibly well in three years, winning eight titles. The target is not titles, it is winning tomorrow (at Spurs) and after we will see what happens.”
Guardiola also spoke about the overall City ethos as being another key persuading factor in his decision to extend his contract.
And he specifically pointed to the way City had acted as a Club in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic
“(I stayed on) For many reasons. One of the main things were my conversations with Khaldoon. This was a key point,” Guardiola added.
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“After that, the squad, the city, the Club. Especially how the club behaved in an incredibly difficult period in this year.
“For example, in the furlough period, the club didn’t go to the government or fire one single person.
“They didn’t reduce the wages for anyone here in the club and even paid the bonuses for last season.
“They showed me how good they are in many things.”
The Catalan was also unequivocal when asked about whether he had ever thought about taking up a new challenge elsewhere with a different Club, insisting he would have taken a break if he had not signed a new contract.
“I (always) wanted to stay here,” the City boss asserted. “It wasn’t just my decision; it was the Club as well.
“I said when we signed the contract, we have many things to do.
“The squad are comfortable, and we have to try and do what we have done in the previous season.”
