I'm going to try and organise some of my neurotic thoughts regarding this situation.
We know that Pep planned to leave at the end of the 24-25 season. How could he stay after Txiki leaves? We then know he ended up extending for 2 years, which reportedly surprised many close to him.
We know that Pep has always seen out contracts, however, he has never spent more than 4 seasons at any other club.
The club reportedly insists it is business as usual and that Pep is expected to be in charge next season. Does that mean anything? I don't think so.
Why does Pep continue to pedal the "I have a contract" line? Is he avoiding the question or is he reinforcing his principles? He did answer "Yeah" to the question of being here next season but the further response when being asked to clarify was a little weird. Is he taking the piss out of d list journos?
We know that several sources within the first team have stated they expect him to leave and an announcement is imminent. They are of the belief this decision was made some time ago. My question to this is how many would actually know? As mentioned at the start, few seemed to be aware that Pep was signing an extension in 24. They also suggest that the backroom will be turned over some. Could that just be Viana though?
We know that the players, at least judging by public statements, don't know. I don't know what to think.
We know the club has organised plans with Maresca. I don't think that says anything. Great clubs do that.
Why would he want to leave? He's getting paid a packet, he's energised, and according to Sam Lee, has fallen in love with the team.
So many questions?
That is intersting to read put out like that. Here are my thoughts in return.
We don't and never did actually Know that Pep 'decided' to leave in '24. That was conjecture. As it was the ahead of his extension before that, and the one before that. And as it is now imo.
These collective assumptions that Pep is leaving, come out of snowballed speculation. Based on an expectation of predictability. Add to that that Pep keeps his cards close to his chest and is hard to read, the club stays out of it publicly, and guesses and then trying to reinforce them are open fair game. But Pep just isn't that predictable.
The first time, the expectation of him leaving was because he had only been at clubs 3-4 years before that, so it was easy to expect/predict the same here at City.
The second because he had already 'overstayed' the expectation, so surely that was that now.
The third, because Txiki was leaving, and Pep couldn't possibly function without him. Or under a new director. And he won the lot so there was nothing left for him.
Now, well because it has been a decade, that somehow seems a more logical point than 11 years. Oh and his fitness coach is leaving. And the club seem to have spoken to Maresca.
In terms of guessing based on expectation, there's enough there to have a pop. Which then snowballs, and people end up 'hearing' things around the grounds. But these things may well quite likely be just echoes of the initial assumption.
People still don’t seem to get Pep. He does seem to make decisions impulsively and right at the end of needing to. Or at least commit to those decisions late, waiting it out patiently to be sure. The club heirarchy obviously know this. How many times now have we heard Khaldoon say 'with Pep it will be a comfortable discusdion', without any worry in his voice. Without any urgency, demand or expectation. How many times have we seen Pep himself leave things open ended on his future. I've never taken it to be that he is hiding something, or deflecting. I take him at his word and think even he genuinely hasn't yet commited to a decision himself. He says how he feels in the moment, and if that continues he will stick with it, but he is open to react if it doesn't, and leaves room for this.
But when he does commit, he has seen it through every time. And by my own logic of him not being predictable, we can't take it for granted he will always do that either, but it is still true that to date he has.
And I personally think that's where things are. There have been early guesses, not without reason, but without substance.
And people are now sticking to them and building the expectation on that, and basing the growing speculation on the expectation. Pep is being Pep, the club is being the club. They are both comfortable either way. As should we be imho.
The players one is an interesting angle, as is the Maresca one, but I've already rambled on, so will come back to that in a part2 of my take on it.