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Manchester City Women have sacked their head coach, Gareth Taylor, just five days before the club’s appearance in the League Cup final. Nick Cushing, whom Taylor succeeded in 2020, will return as interim manager for the remainder of the season.
The news comes with City fourth in the Women’s Super League, 12 points behind the leaders Chelsea, and was announced 24 hours after they booked their place in the semi-finals of the FA Cup by beating Aston Villa on Sunday.
The Guardian understands the club’s decision was based on performances and a feeling that a change would give the team the best chance of achieving their goals for the rest of the season, particularly when it comes to their bid to qualify for next season’s Champions League, which is seen as a key objective, and their attempts to win silverware, with three cup competitions still to fight for.
“Manchester City prides itself on competing at the top of the WSL and on its outstanding record of qualifying for European competition. Unfortunately, results this season have so far not reached this high standard,” said Charlotte O’Neill, Manchester City Women’s managing director. “With six games of the WSL campaign remaining, we believe that a change of management will breathe fresh life into our bid to ensure qualification for the 2025-26 Uefa Women’s Champions League.
“We would like to place on record our thanks to Gareth for all of his efforts during his many years at City. Our FA Cup and League Cup triumphs will remain special moments in the history of this football club. We wish him all the best for the future.”
City next face four consecutive games against Chelsea: first in Saturday’s League Cup final before two Champions League quarter-final legs either side of a WSL meeting.
The Manchester City players were informed of Taylor’s departure on Monday and, according to sources, there was a surprised reaction.
The 52-year-old former Wales, Burnley and Nottingham Forest forward, who also played for Manchester City as well as a host of other clubs, including Sheffield United, Wrexham and Bristol Rovers, had signed a new three-year contract in March 2024.
That deal until 2027 was signed when Nils Nielsen was the club’s women’s director of football and Taylor was understood to have the Dane’s full support, but Nielsen left in the summer of 2024 and is now the head coach of the Japan national team. Speaking to the Guardian in November, Nielsen recalled that he had been convinced the right decision was to renew Taylor’s contract, adding: “Finding somebody that knows the City way of playing as well as him would be almost impossible.”
Now, however, City feel they have brought back a safe pair of hands in Cushing, who knows the club well and will still be immensely popular with their supporters. He guided City to the 2016 WSL title – the club’s only one to date – with an unbeaten league campaign that year, as well as the 2017 Women’s FA Cup.
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The former New York City FC men’s team manager also won the Women’s League Cup with City in both 2014 and 2016 and could now lift that trophy again on Saturday.
Of the squad that Cushing handed over to Taylor in 2020, three players remain who were on City’s senior books back then: England’s Lauren Hemp, Jess Park and Laura Coombs.
It is understood the club will now undergo a thorough recruitment process to find their new long-term head coach, a search which will be led by O’Neill.
