London (AFP) - Pep Guardiola has extended his contract as manager of Premier League champions Manchester City for a further two seasons, saying Thursday “I could not leave now” with the club facing arguably the toughest period of his time at the Etihad Stadium.

There had been speculation the 53-year-old’s City career could be coming to an end, with the club facing an uncertain future due to an ongoing hearing over 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations – charges they deny completely.

City are also currently on a four-game losing streak in all competitions – the worst of Guardiola’s managerial career, excluding penalty shoot-outs – although they are second in the Premier League, five points behind leaders Liverpool.

But reports emerged on Tuesday that Guardiola, who took over at City in 2016 and has since won a total of 18 trophies across all competitions, including six Premier League titles, would stay.

That was despite City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain, a close ally of Guardiola, having already confirmed his exit at the end of the campaign.

But with City, on an English record-breaking run of four successive top-flight titles, Guardiola – who led City to a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble in 2023 – said he had changed his mind about this being his last season at the Etihad.

“I felt I could not leave now, simple as that,” the Catalan boss told the club’s media channels.

“Don’t ask me the reason why. Maybe the four defeats were the reason why and I felt I cannot leave. I felt the club still want me or had the fact that we were together and that’s the reason why we sign.”

- ‘Turn the situation’ -

Guardiola added: “Every time I sign the contract, it’s for the last two (years) and after I resign the contract I say okay the last two and still we are here.

“So honestly I think myself, my staff and friends, I think we deserve to be here. I am sorry to say.

“I am not arrogant to say, but it’s the truth. I think we deserve after four defeats in a row to bounce back and try to turn the situation.

“In that moment, in the period, I had the feeling you have to take the right decisions for the future and I want to take it.”

Guardiola explained while the treble represented a “dream come true” and four Premier League titles in a row “amazing”, he still felt he had a job to do to help City hit those heights again.

“But you have a past, been lessons and mistakes that we have overcome to arrive in the moment where you are more stable and more consistent,” he said.

“We have to recover that because right now we don’t have it and that’s the target we have to do.”

Guardiola, who previously enjoyed a trophy-laden career as a player and coach at Barcelona before taking charge of German giants Bayern Munich, said in an initial club statement: “Manchester City means so much to me…I have a really special feeling for this football club. That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.”

Guardiola, who thanked the club’s Abu-Dhabi-based owner Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman Ferran Soriano, Begiristain and the fans for their support, explained: “I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for, and I appreciate that so much. Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: “Like every City fan, I am delighted that Pep’s journey with Manchester City will continue; allowing his dedication, passion and innovative thinking to continue to shape the landscape of the game.”

The influence of Guardiola, renowned for his possession-based style of football, extends well beyond City, with two of his former assistants in Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca now in charge of Premier League rivals Arsenal and Chelsea respectively.