SMOKE ALARM

Pep stay leaves rivals fearing they'll be close but no cigar

- JEREMY CROSS

IT WILL be the kind of news to send a shiver down the spines of his rival managers at home and abroad.

Pep Guardiola is staying at Manchester City until 2026 at least, with the option to extend his deal by another 12 months.

It means the Spaniard will now focus on extending his legend, and a legacy which has already seen him win a staggering 18 trophies since arriving in Manchester in 2016.

It also means Mikel Arteta (inset, bottom), Arne Slot (inset, top) & Co will have to continue the seemingly impossible challenge of competing against the best manager in the business.

Good luck with that, fellas. City’s intentions to secure Guardiola’s services on a new contract were never in doubt.

Owner Sheikh Mansour flew the Spaniard to Abu Dhabi last month to talk him into putting pen to paper.

Mansour reminded Guardiola he was still viewed as the greatest manager in the world, someone who still had more Premier League and Champions League titles to win.