Arsenal and Man City African legend leaves following Pep's departure
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 26.05.26. | 23:50
The former Premier League-winning defender is among five trusted staff members departing the Etihad following Pep Guardiola's exit
An era is ending at Manchester City - and not just because Pep Guardiola is walking away.
The club confirmed on Tuesday that five members of Guardiola's trusted backroom staff will also leave the Etihad following the Spaniard's departure, including former Premier League-winning defender Kolo Toure.
Alongside Toure, assistant coach Pep Lijnders, fitness coach Lorenzo Buenaventura, goalkeeping coach Xabi Mancisidor and Guardiola's long-time confidant Manel Estiarte will all depart as Manchester City prepare for a major transition behind the scenes.
For Toure, the exit closes another chapter in a long relationship with the club.
The former Ivory Coast international returned to City's coaching structure after impressing during a temporary role with the first team at the Club World Cup, eventually earning a permanent promotion to Guardiola's senior staff last year. Before that, he worked with the club's Under-18 side alongside Oliver Reiss.
And long before moving into coaching, Toure had already secured his place in City history as a player.
The charismatic centre-back made 102 appearances for the club and was part of the iconic squad that delivered Manchester City's first Premier League title dramatically back in 2012, adding it to the unbeaten title he famously won with Arsenal in 2004.
Several of the departing staff members had become inseparable from Guardiola throughout his managerial career. Buenaventura and Estiarte followed him from FC Barcelona to Bayern Munich before eventually arriving at City, while Pep Lijnders had only joined the coaching setup ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Now, a completely new era appears ready to begin.
Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is widely expected to succeed Guardiola, with reports suggesting he could reunite with long-time collaborator Danny Walker as part of his new coaching staff.
Whoever takes over faces the near-impossible task of following one of the greatest managerial reigns English football has ever seen.
Under Guardiola, Manchester City won six Premier League titles, three FA Cups, five League Cups, the Champions League and the Club World Cup, while the historic 2022/23 treble cemented the club's place among Europe's elite.
But after finishing second behind Arsenal this season, seven points adrift of the champions, the most dominant period in City's history has officially come to an end - and Kolo Toure is among the familiar faces leaving with it.