PEP GUARDIOLA admits he considered leaving Manchester City but their four-game losing streak convinced him to stay.
The Spaniard’s contract was set to expire next summer, ending his nine-year stay at the Etihad.
But Guardiola will now be at City for a decade and beyond after agreeing a year-long extension with the option for a further season.
He’s enjoyed plenty of success in the north west following his arrival in 2016.
Guardiola has led City to six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four Carabao Cups and a Champions League.
While the 2022/23 season saw City become just the second English side to complete a historic modern-day Treble.
And just last term, City became the first-ever English team to win four Premier League titles in a row.
But despite still having a star-studded squad, City’s current campaign has not yet lived up to expectations.
Guardiola has been forced to go without key men like Rodri and Kevin De Bruyne for the majority of the term so far.
And City’s form has taken a huge hit, with the champs losing their last four matches in all competitions for the first time since Guardiola’s arrival.
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Some outsiders felt it showed the Spaniard had perhaps lost his spark and interest.
But Guardiola insists the opposite, claiming the losing streak is the main reason behind his decision to sign on for at least another season.
Admitting that he did consider walking away at the end of the current campaign, Guardiola said: “I felt I could not leave now — simple as that.
“Maybe the four defeats was the reason why and I felt the club still wanted me.
Firstly because we won a lot, I feel love. But it’s a business and you have to win. I have a contract but I know if we don’t win I won’t continue.
“The moment it’s done, the club will know it. And at this moment we didn’t feel it.
“Txiki, Ferran and Khaldoon didn’t feel it so that’s why I’ve extended – to stay here and to continue to do well.
“Every time I signed the contract I say it’s the last two – and still we are here. So honestly myself and my staff, we deserve to be here. I’m not arrogant to say it, it’s the truth.
“We deserve the chance – after four defeats in a row – to bounce back and try to turn the situation. I had the feeling I wanted to take the right decisions for the future.
“I enjoy being here, I like my job. I said many times, the moment I don’t have that feeling – even with a contract – I will call my chairman, my CEO and say the best thing for the club is for me to leave.
“I don’t have that feeling right now, so I’ve extended.”
