Inside Txiki Begiristain’s intense Manchester City business schedule ahead of Etihad Stadium exit | OneFootball

Manchester City’s outgoing Director of Football Txiki Begiristain maintains an intense work schedule despite his exit at the end of the ongoing season, it has been revealed.

The long-standing sporting director at the Etihad Stadium will bring an end to his stay with the organisation after a stellar 12 years of work with the club, overseeing the signing of some of the finest players to grace both the football team and the English game.

Among the players to have been signed for Manchester City under Txiki Begiristain are the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Rodrigo, Fernandinho, Ilkay Gundogan, Erling Haaland, and Ederson – all of which have proven to be transformational for the club.

However, having originally planned to bring an end to his time with City five years ago, and going on to extend that stay due to his enjoyment at working within the club and alongside Pep Guardiola, Begiristain will be replaced next summer.

But despite having already reached an agreement over a successor, and Hugo Viana preparing to leave his own role at Sporting CP for Manchester City, there is no sign of the workload reducing for Txiki Begiristain any time soon.

That is according to the information of MailSport’s Sami Mokbel, who details that Txiki Begiristain is expected to work up until the climax of Manchester City’s involvement in next summer’s FIFA Club World Cup in the United States before leaving the club.

It is revealed that the 60-year-old is continuing to play a lead role in Manchester City’s transfer plans for the upcoming January and summer windows of 2025, and remains a key point of contact for agents and sporting directors.

Despite his set exit from the Etihad Stadium and replacement by Hugo Viana, MailSport also reports that Begiristain continues to have full involvement in executing the deals that Manchester City are looking to complete.

There remains a number of key challenges for Txiki Begiristain to oversee during the final months of his stay with Manchester City, both on the contractual negotiations front and the signings of new players.

Pep Guardiola’s own future at City remains in doubt as his contract is due to expire at the end of the ongoing season, and while his decision is not linked to that of Txiki Begiristain, the latter will play a key role in persuading him to stay with the Premier League champions.

Elsewhere, there also remains the contractual discussions to be had with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, as the Belgian’s existing deal expires next summer, whilst Erling Haaland, Rodri, and John Stones are all expected to be subjected to fresh and improved terms.

A number of supporters have also been calling for reinforcements to be brought in during the upcoming January window in light of Rodri’s long-term absence, and it remains to be seen whether Txiki Begiristain and his colleagues have anyone within the European game in mind.