Manchester City Women manager Gareth Taylor is poised to sign a new one-year contract extension, after what sources describe as “very positive discussions” about his future.
Taylor’s current deal is set to expire at the end of this season, meaning that Saturday’s home match against Everton, Manchester City’s last game of this Women’s Super League campaign, could have been the 50-year-old’s final match in charge. However, Telegraph Sport understands that both Taylor and City want him to remain in charge for next season.
Conversations between Taylor and the club are believed to have taken place well in advance of Sunday’s Manchester derby, which ended in a late 2-1 defeat against Manchester United that looks set to consign City to fourth spot and leave them out of the European qualification places . Despite Taylor and the club’s natural disappointment at missing out on next season’s Champions League, the club and manager have a good relationship and firmly believe they can have a successful 2023-24 campaign.
Asked where his future lies, after Sunday’s game, and if he would like to stay at the club, Taylor replied: “Of course, yes, I love the club. I work hard, I love working with the players, so I don’ t see anything changing on that front.”
Earlier in May, former Denmark and Switzerland manager Nils Nielsen was appointed as Manchester City’s first women’s director of football and he said he was looking forward to working with Taylor.
Taylor, who played for City’s men’s side from 1998 to 2001, has been in charge of their WSL team since 2020, when he took over from former manager Nick Cushing, and signed a three-year deal in May of that year. The former Wales international forward, whose club career also included spells at Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest and Bristol Rovers, had coached within City’s boys’ academy prior to taking on the women’s team manager’s job.
During his tenure so far he has overseen their triumph in the 2020 Women’s FA Cup and lifted the 2022’s Continental Tires League Cup, and his team were runners-up in the 2022’s FA Cup final.
Fans will no doubt note that a one-year contract extension would not be a particularly long new deal for Taylor, especially compared to his previous three-year deal. However, there is understood to be a feeling at the club that he could stay longer if next season goes to plan.
City’s pre-season plans have arguably been badly hindered in each of the past two campaigns because of their involvement in Women’s Champions League qualifiers soon after the end of major international women’s tournaments, in the Euros and the Olympics, which has contributed to the club making slow starts to their league campaigns two years running.
There’s a hope that, with a full pre-season under the belt without such early qualifiers, a strong start could be made domestically to mount a serious challenge for a first WSL title since 2016.
Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.