Manchester City midfielder llkay Gundogan has expressed an interest in joining Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff when he retires from playing, because of the springboard it is proven to provide.
Gundogan has spent the best part of a decade playing for Guardiola across two spells at City, having initially been one of the first new faces to walk through the door when the boss arrived in 2016.
Among the current Premier League bosses, both Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca have worked on Guardiola’s staff in east Manchester. The former did so from his retirement as a player in 2016 until his 2019 appointment by Arsenal just over three years later, and the latter during the 2022/23 treble season following an earlier spell in charge of the club’s Under-21 squad.
At Barcelona, Guardiola was also succeeded in 2012 by assistant Tito Vilanova.
It highlights what learning under an esteemed master coach like him can do.
“I haven’t asked him, but there’s probably nothing better than starting out as Pep’s assistant. The examples of the last few years have shown that it can pave the way for a coaching career. Being Pep’s assistant coach would be extremely appealing to me,” Gundogan told SportBild.
Gundogan will turn 35 years of age early next season but doesn’t look likely to imminently retire. His contract with City has already ben extended until the summer of 2026. But as an intelligent player who has enjoyed success at the highest level, he should have plenty to offer as a coach.
Guardiola’s current assistants are Juanma Lillo, a veteran coach of more than 40 years who returned to City in 2023 after a season in charge of Al Sadd in Qatar, and Carlo Vicens, a relatively young coach at 42 who has worked his way up since starting out as an assistant with City’s Under-18s.
But if Gundogan does want to be a coach on Guardiola’s staff, time is running out. The City boss recently alluded to a possible exit from the club when his contract expires in 2027, confirming his desire to then take a “break” from football before considering his next job.
