The speculation surrounding Pep Guardiola’s contract renewal with Manchester City was fuelled not by events on the pitch but by matters unfolding in court.

In keeping with its penchant for dramatic headlines, the BBC used "I will be here – Guardiola's relegation promise to Man City" to sum up the Catalan manager’s first press conference after signing a two-year contract extension. However, a closer look at the exchange reveals that the so-called ‘relegation promise’ was anything but a definitive pledge.

Guardiola was responding to questions about the 115 financial rule breaches levelled against Manchester City by the Premier League. Referring to past interviews, he reiterated his stance on hypothetical scenarios of relegation.

“I said this six months ago. You can find my interviews,” Guardiola stated when pressed about the possibility of demotion. “When the accusations came, people asked, ‘What happens if we’re relegated?’ I said, ‘I will be here.’

“I don’t know where they’ll send us—maybe the Conference? But if it happens, we’ll come back to the Premier League. I believed that then, and I believe it now.”

He went on to address the presumption of guilt he feels often clouds the media’s coverage of City while insisting his primary concern is their on-pitch struggles.

“Seventy-five per cent of the clubs want us punished because I know what happens behind the scenes. But I don’t dwell on that. I’m focused on the four defeats and what I need to do about them. There are lawyers working on both sides—I leave it to them.”

Guardiola’s remarks underscore the growing anticipation among City’s rivals that the club’s dominance over the past decade could face a sudden, dramatic halt. With four consecutive Premier League titles and six in seven years, Manchester City’s stranglehold on English football feels almost unassailable.

This era of dominance is intrinsically linked to Guardiola himself, making his decision to extend his tenure until 2025 unwelcome news for opponents. Yet, framing the renewal around a tenuous relegation narrative misses a broader and more compelling question: what drove Guardiola to commit so firmly this time?

Historically, Guardiola has favoured shorter contracts, often renewing on a year-by-year basis to keep his options open. For example, his 2018 three-year deal was viewed as a seismic shift, given his prior hesitance to commit long-term. Before Manchester City, Guardiola spent just four seasons at Barcelona, followed by three at Bayern Munich, where internal conflicts reportedly hastened his departure.

This new deal is notably free of opt-out clauses and signals a renewed sense of purpose. So, what changed?

In Guardiola’s own words, it was City’s recent poor form that reignited his hunger for the job.

“I couldn’t leave now,” he admitted. “Maybe it was the four defeats. I felt we deserved the chance to turn things around and bounce back. I’m not arrogant, but that’s the truth.”

This perspective might seem surprising to those outside the high-pressure world of elite sport. Yet, history offers a precedent in Sir Alex Ferguson, whose decision to postpone retirement in 2002 was similarly influenced by immediate circumstances.

Ferguson had initially planned to step down that year, having achieved everything imaginable with Manchester United, including a historic Treble. However, a rocky start to the 2001/02 season—including three consecutive league defeats—changed his outlook. Ferguson’s family reportedly staged an intervention, persuading him to continue.

In hindsight, that decision proved pivotal. Though United ended the season without silverware, Ferguson spent the following years building a new dynasty, signing Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney, and laying the groundwork for another era of dominance.

Guardiola’s current situation mirrors this. His ‘relegation promise’ wasn’t a pledge to face whatever consequences might come City’s way—it was a reiteration of his short-term focus on overcoming challenges, both on and off the pitch.

Ultimately, the BBC’s relegation-themed headline was more about generating clicks than presenting the reality of Guardiola’s intentions. His focus has always been on the immediate task, not hypothetical scenarios beyond his control. It’s this mindset that has allowed him to build and sustain the modern Manchester City dynasty.