The Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola signed a contract extension on Thursday to extend his current contract for two more seasons, which would reach a seventh year in his project at the English club.

"The challenge for us is to continue improving and evolving, and I am very excited to help Manchester City achieve it," Guardiola said in a statement.

If he completes the new contract, which extends until the end of the 2022-23 season, Guardiola will become the second coach with the most time on the City's bench after the war.

Guardiola is currently in his fifth season at City — much longer than he was at Barcelona (four) and Bayern Munich (three). He won two Premier League titles, the last three editions of the League Cup, and the FA Cup once.

He has benefited from the fact that City has not hesitated to spend heavily in the transfer market. The club has invested $480 million just in defenders since the Catalan coach took over in 2016.

"Since I arrived at Manchester City, I have always felt very welcomed at the club and in the city, by the players, the club staff, the fans, the people of Manchester, and the president and owner," Guardiola said.

"Having that kind of support is the best thing a coach can have," he added. "I have everything I could wish for to do my job well."

The City president Khaldoon Mubarak highlighted that Guardiola's decision to continue leading "is the result of the trust and mutual respect that exists between him and the entire club.

"Pep's contract extension is the next natural step in a journey that has evolved over many years," Khaldoon said.

Guardiola, who has won almost 75% of the matches he has coached at City, had said at the beginning of the current season that he would only extend his contract if the team's performance justified it after losing the Premier League title to Liverpool last season.

City is currently in tenth place in the Premier League, having won three of their last seven matches. But they have one game in hand. (I)