Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola insisted he would stay put at the club even if they suffered relegation from the Premier League due to alleged breaches of financial rules.
The Spaniard, who has lifted six league titles in the last seven season at City, penned a two-year contract extension on Thursday, signing with the champions until 2027.
Several weeks has passed into the hearing of the Premier League’s 115 charges against City, with a verdict expected before the end of the season.
The Manchester outfit have denied any negative doing from their end but could face heavy punishment if found guilty of all or some of the charges.
“I said that six months ago, one year ago when all the clubs accuse us of doing something wrong.
“If we get relegated, I will be here,” Guardiola said in his pre-match press conference ahead of Tottenham’s visit on Saturday.
“If they send us to the Conference [fifth tier] we will come up and up and come back to the Premier League. I knew it then and I feel it now.”
Guardiola’s decision to extend his deal is also a boost during what has been a rare downtime at the Etihad.
For the first time in the Spaniard’s managerial career, his team have lost four successive matches but the 53-year-old slammed back at City’s critics, highlighting their success in becoming the first side to ever win four consecutive English top-flight titles.
“When you are here for nine years, with a long time at one club, you live all the scenarios, all the situations.
“You’re able to lose four games in a row, but at the same time you’re able to win four Premier Leagues in a row.
“The difference is that most of the teams are able to lose four games in a row in different competitions but just one team won four Premier Leagues in a row,” Guardiola added.
