Alan Shearer Predicts Pep Guardiola's Next Move After Manchester City

Alan Shearer believes Pep Guardiola’s next chapter will not be at another superclub, but on the international stage – after a much‑needed pause.

Guardiola is expected to walk away from Manchester City this summer, with Sunday’s Premier League finale against Aston Villa widely billed as the end of his extraordinary decade at the Etihad. Ten years of relentless title races, tactical innovation and sky‑high expectations appear to be drawing to a close.

For Shearer, the next move feels obvious.

Speaking to Betfair, the Premier League’s record goalscorer predicted a familiar pattern for the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach: step away, recharge, then re-emerge with a new challenge.

“What lies ahead for Pep Guardiola after City? A break!” Shearer said. “I believe it will resemble what we have observed in the past; he might take a year off and then return revitalized and ready to go again.”

The pressure has been suffocating at City, season after season. Every competition a target. Every slip dissected. After a decade of that intensity, Shearer sees international football as the logical next step.

“I can envision him leading an international team; I won’t claim it’s less demanding, but perhaps it won’t be as intense, presenting a different challenge for him,” he added.

Guardiola, now 55, has already been linked in the past with the Brazil national team job, a role that would marry his obsession with attacking football to one of the world’s most gifted talent pools. The speculation has never hardened into an offer, but the idea has lingered in the background of his City reign.

If this really is the end at the Etihad, City’s future is already being sketched out. It has been widely reported that former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is set to succeed him, inheriting a machine Guardiola has fine‑tuned across a decade.

Guardiola, though, looks destined for a different kind of stage – one where the rhythm is tournaments rather than 60‑game seasons, and where a single summer can define a legacy.