Pep Guardiola has declared there is “no chance” of Manchester City winning the Premier League this season.

This comment follows the club’s 2-0 victory over Leicester City on Sunday— their second win in 14 matches across all competitions.

The win leaves City fifth on the table, trailing leaders, Liverpool, by 14 points.

In a late Sunday statement on the Premier League website titled “‘No chance’ – Guardiola rules Man City out of title race,” the Catalan manager admitted the title is already out of reach.

“Hopefully the new year can help us bounce back,” Guardiola said post-match. “It is not enjoyable right now, it is just relief. We have done incredible things for many years. It is not the best.”

Speaking to BBC Match of the Day, he was more blunt.

He said, “We are far away from winning the Premier League. We accept there’s already no chance of that, but we have other things to fight for – FA Cup, top four… and winning games helps.”

January reinforcements needed

With the transfer window opening on Wednesday, Guardiola hinted at incoming signings to bolster his injury-hit squad.

“In some positions we need help,” Guardiola admitted. “When we’re all together, we’re the team we were, but with important players out for weeks and months, it’s so difficult.”

City’s injury struggles, particularly in defense and midfield, have taken their toll.

“I thought central defenders would be fit all season, but we have struggled—holding midfield and central defenders, we need help,” he said.

“The market is the market—it’s not easy, it’s expensive, so we will see what the club can do.”

Guardiola 500 matches at City

Despite City’s struggles, Sunday’s win marked a personal milestone for Guardiola – his 500th match as Manchester City manager. Reflecting on the achievement, Guardiola spoke with pride.

“Yeah definitely [proud],” he said. “It is better to celebrate it with a victory and the new year. I am so proud. I would cry now. I’m so proud to be a part of this club.”

“Today when they told me, ‘You are going to do 500 games,’ I said ‘Wow.’ But we are judged in the last 13. In the other 480 games, they have been an incredible period and yeah, more to come.”

Record of dominance

While City’s form has dipped this season, Guardiola’s legacy at the club remains unparalleled. Since his arrival in 2016, no Premier League manager has come close to matching his achievements.

City have claimed six of the last eight Premier League titles, including an unprecedented four in a row last season. They also completed the Treble in 2022/23, echoing Manchester United’s historic feat from 1999.

Since Guardiola took charge, City have accumulated 45 more points and scored 83 more goals than any other team in the league.

Guardiola is the first Premier League manager to oversee 500 matches since David Moyes hit that landmark with Everton in 2013. As the league’s longest-serving active manager, Guardiola’s reign at City surpasses Brentford’s Thomas Frank by two years.

Only Sir Alex Ferguson, with 13 Premier League titles, has more than Guardiola’s six – but with more milestones ahead, Pep’s chapter in City’s history is far from over.

Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah tops a notable list of 79 Premier League players who will be free to negotiate moves with foreign clubs from January 1.

The Mirror reported on Monday that under the Bosman rule, players in the final six months of their contracts, which expire on June 30, 2025, are permitted to sign pre-contract agreements with clubs abroad.

Salah, along with Liverpool teammates Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, has sparked speculation over his future as his contract nears its end.

Similarly, Manchester City must make decisions about Kevin De Bruyne and Ilkay Gundogan. De Bruyne, widely regarded as one of the league’s finest midfielders, has yet to confirm his future amidst City’s ongoing challenges.

Rivals Manchester United face uncertainty, with six players out of contract, including Harry Maguire, Christian Eriksen, and breakout star Amad. Speculation surrounds the Red Devils’ plans, as some players may leave for free or be sold in January.

London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham also face critical moments. Arsenal’s midfielders Thomas Partey and Jorginho are approaching the end of their deals, leaving questions about the club’s long-term strategy. Meanwhile, Tottenham could lose club captain Son Heung-min unless decisive action is taken.

Chelsea are comparatively unaffected, with reserve goalkeeper Lucas Bergstrom the sole player nearing contract expiry.

In contrast, Newcastle United and Everton each have eight senior players nearing the end of their contracts. Newcastle’s Callum Wilson and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin are among the notable names.

Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood, with 11 goals this season, and defender Ola Aina may draw interest from abroad, as their contracts also expire in June.

Here is the full list of Premier League players nearing contract expiry in 2025:

Arsenal – Thomas Partey, Jorginho, Kieran Tierney

Aston Villa – Kortney Hause, Robin Olsen

Brighton – Tariq Lamptey, Jakub Moder, Joel Veltman, James Milner, Imari Samuels

Brentford – Christian Nørgaard, Josh Dasilva, Ben Mee

Bournemouth – N/A

Chelsea – Lucas Bergstrom

Crystal Palace – Tyrick Mitchell, Will Hughes, Jeffrey Schlupp, Nathaniel
Clyne, Joel Ward, Remi Matthews

Everton – Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Abdoulaye Doucouré, Michael Keane, Idrissa Gueye, Ashley Young, Seamus Coleman, João Virgínia, Asmir Begović

Fulham – Kenny Tete, Adama Traoré, Raúl Jiménez, Carlos Vinícius, Tom Cairney

Ipswich Town – Axel Tuanzebe, Cameron Burgess, Massimo Luongo

Leicester City – Jamie Vardy, Daniel Iversen, Danny Ward

Liverpool – Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Vítězslav Jaroš

Manchester City – Kevin De Bruyne, İlkay Gündoğan, Scott Carson

Manchester United – Amad, Harry Maguire, Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelöf, Jonny Evans, Tom Heaton

Newcastle United – Sean Longstaff, Callum Wilson, Fabian Schär, Jamaal Lascelles, Martin Dúbravka, Emil Krafth, Mark Gillespie, John Ruddy

Nottingham Forest – Chris Wood, Ola Aina, Harry Toffolo, Willy Boly

Southampton – Kyle Walker-Peters, Adam Lallana, Jack Stephens, Joe Lumley

Tottenham – Son Heung-min, Ben Davies, Fraser Forster, Sergio Reguilón, Alfie Whiteman

West Ham United – Vladimír Coufal, Danny Ings, Michail Antonio, Łukasz Fabiański, Aaron Cresswell

Wolves – Nélson Semedo, Mario Lemina, Pablo Sarabia, Craig Dawson.

Chelsea’s bid to climb back into the Premier League title race suffered a major blow as lowly Ipswich beat the Blues 2-0 at Portman Road on Monday.

Enzo Maresca’s side were rocked by Liam Delap’s early penalty and a second half goal from former Chelsea winger Omari Hutchinson.

Chelsea’s second successive defeat after their Boxing Day loss against Fulham left them without a win in their last three matches.

The west Londoners had emerged as surprise title contenders after an eight-match winning run in all competitions.

But Maresca had insisted throughout that spell that Chelsea’s inexperienced squad do not have what it takes to win the title in his first season after arriving from Leicester.

And the Italian’s prediction looks spot on after a shock result in Suffolk that leaves Chelsea in fourth place, 10 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

Third-bottom Ipswich climb within one point of safety after winning for the second time in their last four matches.

Kieran McKenna’s side have renewed belief they can avoid relegation back to the Championship thanks to their first top-flight home win in 22 years.

Ipswich took the fight to Chelsea right from the start as Delap bullied the visitors’ defence in pugnacious fashion.

Delap raced onto Leif Davis’ inch-perfect pass in the 12th minute and went to ground after the faintest of kicks by Chelsea goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen.

Referee John Brooks awarded the spot-kick and Delap drilled into the bottom corner for his seventh goal of the season.

Cole Palmer almost levelled immediately when his free-kick from 22 yards smacked against the post.

Palmer’s superb left-footed cross was converted by Joao Felix midway through the first half but the Portugal striker’s powerful finish was disallowed for offside after a lengthy VAR check.

Just before half-time, Palmer’s superb 20-yard curler looked destined for the top corner after Felix’s lay-off, only for Christian Walton to brilliantly parry onto the crossbar

Felix’s header was cleared off the line by Wes Burns early in the second half before Walton thwarted Noni Madueke’s low effort.

Chelsea’s profligacy came back to haunt them as Ipswich doubled their lead in the 53rd minute.

Axel Disasi carelessly passed straight to Delap on the halfway line and he ran at Levi Colwill before passing back to Hutchinson.

Intelligently working a yard of space, Hutchinson drilled into the bottom corner.

It was a special goal for Hutchinson against a club that released him twice from their youth team.

Chelsea were unable to muster a response as Ipswich inflicted a painful defeat with repercussions at both ends of the table.