PEP GUARDIOLA has been confirmed as the next manager of Manchester City.
The Bayern Munich boss has signed a three-year deal to become head coach and
will succeed Manuel Pellegrini on July 1.
Confirmation of the deal finally ends a four-year pursuit of Guardiola by
City, with the club admitting they originally targeted him to replace
Roberto Mancini in charge at the Etihad.
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The shock announcement was first delivered by Pellegrini at the end of his
usual news conference ahead of tomorrow’s Premier League clash at Sunderland.
It is no surprise Guardiola is moving in at the Etihad, but an official
announcement was not expected until Bayern Munich were out of the Champions
League.
But City decided they needed to act quicker to avoid the speculation
de-stabilising the club’s challenge for the Premier League and Champions
League this season.
He was more interested in the possibility of joining Manchester
United, but the club were slow to begin sounding him out as they
insisted on backing under-fire Louis van Gaal.
By the time they did make contact, Guardiola was already a long way down the
road to agreeing terms with City – and that proved crucial in deciding his
fate.
Pellegrini said: “Before I finish, I want to tell you I have talked with
the club and I will finish my contract on the original date.
“I signed for one year more, but with the clause that the club or me can
choose not to use that stuff now, so I finish here on the original date,
June 30, so there is not the speculation.
“The club are not doing anything behind me, I knew this one month ago,
but I don’t think it’s good to have rumour or speculation about these
things, so I prefer to finish today, which I why I have told the players and
I have told the Press. I also spoke to the club two weeks ago and said that
I would do it.”