A likeable nemesis. A juggernaut builder. A manager with a ripple effect felt far beyond his own club. As Pep Guardiola prepares to leave Manchester City, rival supporters across England have been weighing in on what his decade in the Premier League truly meant — and why some are relieved to see him go.

United fans eye a power shift

For Manchester United supporters, the news carries a familiar echo. Alex Turk of Turk Talks FC drew a direct comparison to the day Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement in May 2013 — a moment that brought relief to rivals after 38 trophies in 27 years. Guardiola's 20 trophies across 10 years at City, Turk argues, makes United fans' relief entirely understandable.

"It's not quite Ferguson, and calls for Guardiola to be recognised as the Premier League's greatest manager are purely reactionary," Turk noted, though he acknowledged a grudging layer of respect — not least because Guardiola consistently showed United the deference he felt the club deserved.

The timing of Michael Carrick's appointment as United's permanent head coach, confirmed just 15 minutes before Guardiola's departure was announced, was not lost on Turk. With the right moves in the summer transfer window, he believes a genuine shift in Manchester's football hierarchy is within reach — though he admitted hoping City suffer the same post-era hangover United endured after Ferguson's exit.

A nemesis Liverpool grew to like

Liverpool fan Josh Sexton, who contributes to The Anfield Wrap among other outlets, described an unexpected pang of sadness at Guardiola's impending exit. "It feels like a chapter of English football is truly closing," he wrote.

Sexton credited Guardiola's compassionate public persona and increasingly entertaining press conferences for softening his image, even as City repeatedly made life difficult for Liverpool. He noted that after Jurgen Klopp departed Anfield in 2024, it felt inevitable that his great rival would not be far behind.

The standards set by those two managers, Sexton argued, distorted perceptions of what a title-winning points total should look like. Arsenal claimed the Premier League this season with a maximum of 85 points — a figure that would have fallen short in the years when Liverpool and City pushed each other beyond 90. With Guardiola gone, Sexton suggested the barrier to entry for a title race will lower, giving Liverpool and their talented squad genuine cause for optimism.

Arsenal fan: 'my negativity is purely jealousy'

For Arsenal supporter Laura Kirk-Francis of the Latte Firm podcast, the past week delivered two separate waves of relief — the club's Premier League title win, and then the confirmation of Guardiola's departure. She was candid about her feelings.

"I am self-aware enough to realise that a lot of my negativity towards Guardiola is purely jealousy," she admitted — jealousy at the winning mentality he instilled in every City side, and at a machine that repeatedly denied Arsenal what they craved most. She acknowledged that appreciating the full magnitude of his achievements may take time, given how many of them came directly at Arsenal's expense.

Chelsea and the Guardiola shadow

Chelsea fan Will Faulks, writing for Chelsea News, offered perhaps the most nuanced perspective. He recalled learning of Guardiola's arrival in England mid-tennis match, sensing even then that it was a seismic moment. Beating City at Etihad Stadium in Guardiola's first season — the result that handed Antonio Conte's side the title — remains one of the most memorable results in recent Chelsea memory. Yet even that day, Faulks recalled a nagging feeling they had faced an unfinished team that would not repeat its errors.

City have won six league titles since. Chelsea have not seriously challenged for one. Faulks went further, arguing that Guardiola's influence extended deep into Chelsea's own decision-making — with several managers either sacked for failing to compete with him or dismissed for failing to emulate him. Incoming manager Xabi Alonso was reportedly chosen partly because his footballing style connects to that of Enzo Maresca, himself a former Guardiola assistant. Chelsea's search for a footballing identity, Faulks concluded, leads directly back to Guardiola's shadow.