Manchester City stole the spotlight from the rest of European soccer on the final day of the winter transfer window. But it’s not a new player that has everyone talking, it’s the signing of a new coach: Pep Guardiola.
On Monday, the club finally confirmed one of the worst-kept secrets in soccer: Guardiola, the 45-year-old currently coaching German giants Bayern Munich, will take over for City’s Manuel Pellegrini after this season.
Generally regarded as the best manager in the world, the former Barcelona boss has signed a three-year contact with the club and will make somewhere in the neighborhood of $22 million per season, reports the Guardian. It’s also believed he’ll have a war chest of around $215 million to spend on new players in the offseason.
Considering Guardiola’s reputation – he’s won everything a club manager can, including five league crowns and two Champions League titles – and City’s resources, the move makes the club the Premier League favorites for the foreseeable future.
It also raises expectations for the club in Europe. City’s Abu Dhabi owners, lead by chairman Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, have made a Champions League title a priority since purchasing the side in 2008. But the club has yet to make it past the Round of 16, which they’ve reached the least three seasons.
Guardiola, who won two Champions League titles while leading Barca, was brought in at Bayern for the same purpose. He’s yet to win the coveted prize there, but his team has reached the semifinals twice and is one of the favorites this season.
Whether or not the move results in Manchester City’s first Champions League title, it moves them that much closer to local rival Manchester United, the 20-time-domestic champions. City has spent much of its history in the shadow of its red-wearing counterparts, but now have a manager who places them in Europe’s soccer elite. (The hiring of Guardiola also serves as a blow to United, who constantly seem a game away from firing current coach Louis van Gaal.)
City claims they made the announcement now, as opposed to in the summer, out of “respect” for Pelligrini. The board believes the announcement will galvanize the players — City currently stands second in the league table — around their outgoing manager.
Regardless, Pelligrini said he was informed of the decision a month ago. The Chilean manager probably won’t have to wait long for a new job. His name already is being linked heavily with the opening at Chelsea.