Pep Guardiola’s contract with Bayern Munich expires next summer, and many believe he will not sign on for a new deal with the Bavarian club.
After achieving everything with Barcelona in La Liga and Bayern in the Bundesliga, it has long been suspected that Guardiola’s next move would be to the Premier League.
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While he has been most heavily linked with Manchester City, a new report states the Spaniard is keen to manage in England’s capital city of London.
Daily Mail is reporting that should Guardiola leave Bayern, his preferred move would be to London, which is about four hours south of Manchester.
If Guardiola were to go to the Premier League, London or elsewhere, there are only five clubs where he would realistically end up: Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United.
Count out Liverpool with the hiring of Jurgen Klopp. Louis Van Gaal has another season on his contract at United, and Ryan Giggs is primed to take over after him. United is out. That narrows it down to Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester City.
Previously linked with City, if Guardiola truly wants to be in London, a move to the Etihad would be out as well. Plus, City currently sits on top of the table in the Premier League. If Manuel Pellegrini were to lead City to a second title in three years, would the club really replace him?
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That leaves Arsenal and Chelsea, both in London. Arsene Wenger has been with Arsenal for 19 years, far and away the longest tenured manager in the Premier League. It’s hard to imagine the Gunners parting ways with Wenger, and it definitely won’t happen if the Gunners can get their hands on the Premier League title, which could be a real possibility this season.
So then we have Chelsea. The Blues are currently struggling under Jose Mourinho in his third year with the club, and Mourinho has never stayed with a club longer than three seasons. It’s been quite the tumultuous campaign just nine matches in, and in a way Mourinho has never experienced before. He has stated that he wants to stay at Stamford Bridge and signed a four-year extension this summer, but if the year ends without a trophy, Roman Abramovich won’t be a happy owner…
It’s all just speculation now, and Guardiola won’t be leaving until the end of this season, if he leaves at all. However, you can expect the rumors and reports to continue to grow throughout the year.