Pep Guardiola admits he is “closer to leaving” Manchester City after their latest Premier League title

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Pep Guardiola hinted he could extend his contract at Manchester City after becoming the first team to win four consecutive English titles, but has cast doubt on his future, admitting he feels tired.

The Catalan has a year left on his contract, which runs until 2022, and suggested he could be willing to discuss an extended deal as he spoke about how he has found the motivation to aim for new achievements.

Guardiola hailed a sixth title in seven seasons as a “crazy” achievement he would never have thought possible when it arrived after a 3-1 win over West Ham made City champions again.

He spent four years at Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich and said he was closer to leaving City than staying, but still relished the chance to make history. City could become the first team in English football history to win back-to-back doubles next week when they face Manchester United in the FA Cup final, and while they thought they had won all there was to win last year, they then found new targets. .

And he said: “We had that season last year, after (the Champions League final in) Istanbul, I said, ‘It’s over, there’s nothing left.’ But I have a contract, I’m still here. Some of the moments I’m a little tired, but some of the moments I love and we’re here winning games, looking good with new players. I’m starting to think no one has done four in a row, why don’t we try? And now I feel like it’s over, so what’s next? FA Cup. Gary Lineker told me no team had ever done back-to-back premierships and FA Cups.

“Right now, I don’t know exactly what the motivation is to do it because it’s hard to find it when everything is ready. But knowing the players and myself, I know when we’re out there we’re going to say ‘why shouldn’t we win today? Why shouldn’t we work as hard as possible to do what we have to do?’ And I know we will.”

Guardiola said he was closer to the end of his reign than the beginning, explaining: “The reality is I’m closer to leaving than staying. I have spoken to the club – my feeling is that I want to stay now. I will stay next season and during the season we will talk. But eight or nine years – we’ll see. I didn’t expect to stay eight or nine years. I was expecting three, four or five, but not much. I can not believe. It’s the Premier League. It’s the toughest.”

Guardiola declared that now is the age of City. While he argued that Liverpool fans of a certain era will always consider Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly’s teams the greatest of all time and Manchester United supporters will always think Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams are, he said: “In terms of numbers, nobody has been better than us – the records, the goals, the points and four in a row. If I landed here tomorrow and you said I was going to win six Premier Leagues in seven years, I’d be like, ‘Are you crazy? It’s impossible.’ I did something incredible. Six Premier Leagues in seven years, in this country with modern football and the teams and everything. Now is our time.”

Guardiola expects Mikel Arteta and Arsenal to challenge again next season. He added: “Before it was Liverpool pushing our limits and now it’s Arsenal, I want to congratulate them from the bottom of my heart. I got the message from Mikel and his players because they are here to stay. He is young.”

Jurgen Klopp, the only manager to end City’s run of six Premier League victories in seven years, said Guardiola was the only manager who could make it four in a row, even with City’s resources.

And the Catalan paid tribute to his rival, adding: “I will miss him a lot. Jurgen was a very important part of my life. He brought me to another level as a manager. We respect each other incredibly. He helps me many times. I wish him all the best and hope his last game was special for him. Jurgen with Liverpool will be on par with Shankly and Paisley.”

Captain Kyle Walker said the city was driven by the chance to make history. He said, “I think so, I think so. We got out of the Champions League, we got into the FA Cup final, but to do that, make it four in a row, he did something special. He made Liverpool recognizable with his stamp and the incredible pride of being a Liverpool fan. It’s not just about titles, there are personalities that, when they get to one place, stay forever, and Jurgen and Liverpool will be at the level of (Bill) Shankly and (Bob) Paisley and those incredible legends.”

“The last few years have been very special for everyone at Manchester City, but to have captained this club to a fourth successive Premier League title is something I will cherish forever. The Premier League is the benchmark by which everyone is measured. It is rightly renowned as the toughest and most competitive league in the world, so to win four in a row, especially after last season’s treble success, illustrates what we have collectively managed to achieve.”