Chelsea have contacted Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini over the manager’s job at Stamford Bridge, according to reports in Spain.
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The former Barcelona coach has won two league titles and the German Cup since joining Bayern in summer 2013.
Those moves may not necessarily depend on Guardiola – although the rigorousness with which he trained his centre-backs, Jerome Boateng in particular, when he arrived at Bayern suggests he will have very specific ideas about what he wants from his defenders – but there are two further names which would smooth his transition.
However, until there’s any official confirmation, with Louis van Gaal under-pressure at Manchester United, and Chelsea looking for someone to replace Jose Mourinho on a permanent basis, there could still be a three-way battle to secure the most wanted coach in world football.
Goal has previously reported City’s interest in Thiago Alcantara, the midfielder brought to Bayern Munich by Guardiola quickly after he took up office at Sabener Strasse in 2013.
At the same time Guardiola has spoken warmly about United in the past while there is also an admiration for Arsenal although there are no indications whatsoever that Arsene Wenger might be willing to step aside.
There have also been suggestions, though, that the Spaniard could take a year-long sabbatical, just as he did when departing Barcelona in 2012.
Bayern had set a deadline of this weekend before the winter break in the Bundesliga to ascertain Guardiola’s intentions after he stalled on all attempts to force him to sign a contract extension. Eyebrows were hardly raised either when the German champions named Carlo Ancelotti as his replacement, but although many saw this coming, what impact might the news have on Bayern?
But Guardiola’s team was torn apart by Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid 4-0 in Munich to go out 5-0 on aggregate in the semifinals of the Champions League. “I am convinced that Pep and his team will now work even more intensively to achieve our big sporting goals because now it has become clear that Pep will leave FC Bayern”, he said in a statement.
“Carlo is a quiet, balanced professional who knows how to deal with stars and play a game with a lot of variety”. Wherever he chooses, his salary will be huge and he will be given the authority to work as he wishes and there is much to attract him to suitors beyond City.
Ancelotti most recently managed Real Madrid, and has won three Champions League titles in a distinguished managerial career. Some may see his “no” to signing a new contract as a defeat for Bayern (against the financial clout of the English Premier League) after they tried sweetening up the Spaniard by buying a number of expensive world class players, and a promised, in negotiations, annual pay rise totaling 20 million euros.
There have also been disagreements with the Bayern medical staff, which led to a parting of the ways with the legendary team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Mueller-Wohlfahrt last season and three other members of the staff.
Ancelotti took to social media with a message on Twitter after his appointment was confirmed.
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“I think that it is very important to stay focused on Monday because all of Arsenal’s players have the capability to make the game hard – but the same applies to our squad”.
