Sheikh Mansour sends message to Pep Guardiola and Man City after face-to-face talks in Abu Dhabi

Pep Guardiola held a face-to-face meeting with Manchester City owner Sheikh Mansour this week, presenting him with the Blues’ latest trophies.

A City delegation travelled to Abu Dhabi to meet the owner, who does not usually attend matches and attended last year’s Champions League final. Guardiola presented Sheikh Mansour with the Premier League’s latest trophy, the Club World Cup trophy and the UEFA Super Cup.

According to the National, the City owner told Guardiola he “welcomed the efforts of the players” and “stressed that the titles won by City serve as motivation for the club to continue its progress”.

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Mansour later posted on Twitter: “I met with several Manchester City officials. I thank the club’s senior management, coaching staff and players for their efforts, which have led to the team’s exceptional achievements in recent years, including winning the English Premier League title for four consecutive seasons. I wish the team continued success in the competitions to come.”

The message echoes that of chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, a close aide to Sheikh Mansour, with Al Mubarak saying the ambition for next season is to win a fifth consecutive Premier League title and continue the club’s success.

Guardiola, who met Sheikh Mansour alongside Al Mubarak, CEO Ferran Soriano and sporting director Txiki Begiristain, posed for photos with the club’s four Premier League titles won in the last four seasons, with the owner holding up four fingers and smiling broadly.

Photos then showed Guardiola and Sheikh Mansour sitting down for talks, mirroring previous end-of-season visits to Abu Dhabi where the manager, chairman, CEO and sporting directors discussed the upcoming season, among other topics. Guardiola is now in the final year of his contract, and previous extensions were signed after mid-season trips to Abu Dhabi to talk with the owner.

The latest talks will raise hopes among supporters of a new contract, even though Guardiola’s last two extensions came in November and December. City want Guardiola to stay but accept that the decision is theirs and reports suggest he will leave the club next summer.

In the chairman’s annual interview published this month, Al Mubarak spoke of Sheikh Mansour’s delight at City’s progress, as well as that of the entire City Football Group.

He said: “You can see today that I am delighted, and I think I reflect our coaching staff, our management team, our board, the board of directors, the owner, His Highness Sheikh Mansour and of course everyone on our staff. Everyone is obviously proud and delighted with what we have achieved this year.”

“Since day one, Sheikh Mansour, as the largest shareholder of the group (CFG), has focused on growth and value appreciation. And in doing so, every pound of profit has remained within the group to support growth and development.

“The result is that we are always investing. We are always investing in infrastructure, in the development of these clubs. We are buying new teams. We continue to grow and develop.”