Manchester City may have received a significant boost regarding their admiration for former club captain Vincent Kompany and his managerial aspirations.
In recent years, Kompany has been frequently mentioned as a potential successor to current Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who is contracted at the Etihad Stadium until 2027 and has recently dismissed speculation about departing the club prematurely.
Guardiola is in pursuit of his fifth Premier League title in six seasons with a revamped Manchester City squad, which is currently in the early stages of a transition overseen by director of football Hugo Viana. This transition involved several high-profile player exits and the recruitment of seven new signings last summer.
Executives at the Etihad Stadium, led by Viana, are reportedly planning for Guardiola’s eventual departure, with industry insiders suggesting that this could be the Catalan’s final season in the north-west, as reported by David Ornstein of The Athletic last month.
On the pitch, City faced a setback in their title race over the weekend after conceding a late equalizer in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea, allowing Arsenal to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League to six points.
Following injuries to Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias, Manchester City is intensifying efforts to acquire Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi during the January transfer window, having also recalled on-loan academy star Max Alleyne from Watford.
City is nearing a deal for Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth after extensive negotiations with officials from the Vitality Stadium.
While Guardiola has committed to fulfilling his contract, which runs for another 18 months, Manchester City could soon welcome a club legend to the managerial position to succeed him.
As reported by Bayern Munich insider ‘Bayern Space’ on X, Vincent Kompany and his father Pierre were approached by Chelsea directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart regarding the managerial vacancy at Stamford Bridge, following the dismissal of Enzo Maresca. However, discussions ended swiftly and respectfully, with Kompany indicating his lack of interest in a mid-season move and reaffirming his long-term ambition to manage Manchester City.
Kompany’s aspirations at the Etihad Stadium appear to be rooted in a personal objective to return to the club and ultimately succeed Pep Guardiola, who coached him during the latter part of his playing career at Manchester City.
With Chelsea parting ways with Maresca on New Year’s Day, Kompany may find himself competing with the experienced Italian for the managerial role at City in the future.