According to Federico Gennarelli of Radio Sportiva, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has agreed to leave the club in favour of a move to Juventus this summer. The Italian giants are keen to appoint the ex-Barcelona manager as their desired replacement for the departing Massimiliano Allegri.
Guardiola has led Manchester City to two back to back Premier League titles, becoming the first manager to do so since Sir Alex Ferguson. The Sky Blues also became the first-ever men’s team to win the domestic treble in England this season. And while Guardiola still failed to win the Champions League, his departure will serve as a massive blow for the Premier League giants for multiple reasons.
Trophies + An Identity
Aside from the trophies, Guardiola has played a critical role in asserting an identity to Manchester City. His Juego de posicion style of play, which essentially focuses on generating numerical superiority using set patterns of movements, has revolutionised the possession-heavy football in England. The Citizens have retained more possession than any other side in the Premier League this season.
Also, much like his time at Bayern Munich, Guardiola has transformed a host of players into world class individuals. Players like Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, Leroy Sane and even Raheem Sterling have seen tremendous improvement in their overall game under the tutelage of Guardiola.
Silva, in particular, has emerged as one of Premier League’s best attacking midfielders if not the best. His chance creation and technical prowess have been critical to Manchester City’s dominance in English football this season.
Others include Ederson Moraes, who has successfully evolved himself into a ball-playing goalkeeper. The Brazilian is fully capable of rotating possession at the back as well as initiating counter-attacks with accurate long balls. He is arguably the most effective and influential goalkeeper in the Premier League right now.
A Massive Blow But Is This Move Likely?
Furthermore, Manchester City were showing immense promise heading into the new season as Guardiola had the opportunity to further strengthen his unit by using the transfer window. But, his departure will mean that the Sky Blues will once again to have to go through the rebuild process – making it much more challenging to maintain their superiority in English football.
Guardiola would also probably look to bring in some of the Manchester City stars, with Bernardo Silva or de Bruyne being likeliest options, with him to his new club. Hence, the Spaniard’s departure from the Etihad will serve as a massive blow. Fortunately for the English champions, however, Radio Sportivo’s claims don’t appear strong enough as none of the popular sources have yet reported on it. But, it will be interesting to see what transpires in the coming days.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
