Change next summer
©IMAGO
Manchester City have announced a change in the position of sporting director. Txiki Begiristain is leaving the Citizens after more than a decade at the end of the current season and after the conclusion of the Club World Cup; the 60-year-old Spaniard is followed by Hugo Viana. The 41-year-old has been working as sporting director at Sporting Lisbon since September 2018. Viana is due to take up his duties at Man City in the summer of 2025, but has already been working with his predecessor in previous months to ensure a smooth transition.
Under Begiristain and Guardiola, the Skyblues have risen to number one in England. The highlight was winning the Champions League in 2023. It is still unclear whether the decision will also have an impact on Guardiola’s future. The Catalan, who has been in Manchester since 2016, has not yet decided on his future. His contract expires after this season.
Since Begiristain’s first full season in 2013/14, Man City has invested 1.96 billion euros in new signings, compared to income from player sales of 951 million euros. Only Chelsea and Man United spent more in the same period. Sporting became champions twice under manager Viana. In 2020/21, the Portuguese ended a dry spell that lasted around twenty years. In the 2021/22 Champions League round of 16, Sporting and Man City met directly – with the better end for the English.
