7 Managers Who Could Replace Pep Guardiola at Man City

 

Despite a slightly below-par start to the 2023/24 campaign, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is simply loving life at the Etihad and has been for some time. At the time of writing, the Spanish boss is in his seventh season at the helm of the Cityzens and is fresh off the back of completing arguably the greatest achievement of his career to date. By winning a historic treble, and taking City to their first-ever Champions League trophy in the 2022/23 campaign, the Spanish boss has now won a whopping 34 major trophies during a 15-year career as a manager – with 13 of those achieved in sky blue.

Having finally won his third Champions League crown, the first he has achieved whilst not managing Barcelona, many now feel Guardiola has achieved all there is to achieve with City. If his side were to win the Premier League once again this year, it would be their fourth top-flight win in a row and an incredible sixth title win in the past seven seasons.

Those in charge at the Etihad would undoubtedly want to extend his stay in England, but there is a feeling that the man himself isn’t planning on extending his stay in the Premier League past his contract expiry date of 2025. Guardiola is known to enjoy both a challenge and a change in his career and has already managed three of the biggest clubs in world football, as he took the reigns at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich before making his way to England.

Other footballing giants are struggling to reach the heights they believe they should be hitting, and would surely snap up the chance of taking Guardiola should he decide to leave City at the end of his eighth season with the club in 18 months. The likes of Paris Saint-Germain are still after their maiden Champions League title – after Lionel Messi’s brief spell at the club failed to provide one – and the great Italian side Juventus are far from where they believe they should be, having failed to finish even in the top three of Serie A since the COVID-hampered 2019/20 season.

Director of Football Txiki Begiristain and CEO Ferran Soriano were brought to the Etihad in 2012 after leaving Barcelona, tasked with bringing the Catalan model, and Guardiola, to England. So, GIVEMESPORT have put together a list of seven managers whom they could choose to take over from the Spaniard should he leave his post in 2025.

1 Michel

Taking La Liga by storm

Should the City board look to dip back into the Spanish league to hire their next manager, then they will find an ideal replacement sitting top of the table. Guardiola’s fellow Spaniard Michel took charge of Spanish club Girona back in the summer of 2021, after their relegation from the top tier. Under the guidance of Michel, the Blanquivermells have made a simply astonishing start to the 2023/24 campaign, sitting pretty at the top of the table with 41 points from 16 games – two points clear of Spanish giants Real Madrid in second, and seven points clear of both Atlético Madrid and Barcelona behind them.

The 48-year-old’s side have suffered just one league defeat all season, and have earned their right at the summit by playing attacking football and outscoring their opponents, astonishingly scoring four goals or more in five of their 16 league games this season – with the latest coming in a benchmark 4-2 victory over Barcelona. Michel’s style and brand of football would certainly make for an easy transition should he take the helm at the Etihad, with Girona sporting director Quique Carcel himself acknowledging that he has the qualities required to succeed Guardiola.

“He has the talent to lead a big club like Manchester City (but) still needs time to get there to this type of benches,” Carcel told Mundo Deportivo. “City plays football that Míchel, with a smaller club, is being able to do. Although for him to train them, a lot of coordination has to happen, like Pep (Guardiola) making the decision to leave.”

This list is displayed in no particular so let’s have a look at the candidates who could be in line to get the reins at Manchester City once Guardiola departs.

2 Mikel Arteta

An old friend

Arsenal manager Mikel ArtetaView pictures in App save up to 80% data.
Another Spaniard makes the list but this time it’s one who is a little closer to home for the Cityzens. It’s easy to forget that this is Arteta’s very first managerial role, but it’s important to highlight that he was the assistant manager at Manchester City and Pep Guardiola’s right-hand man. The now 41-year-old spent three years in the dugout in Manchester as an assistant coach to Guardiola, becoming a vital cog in the City winning machine.

Despite a difficult first few years at the Emirates, the Spaniard went head-to-head with his old mentor Guardiola for the title last season, leading the way for a record-breaking 93% of the season, before the treble-winning City side pipped him to the post.

After continuing their fine form into this season, as the Gunners look to be in a title race for the second season in a row, it looks as though Arteta is more than capable of filling his old boss’ shoes should they choose him to do so. The Spaniard knows the club, the staff, and even some of the players inside out, meaning he could seamlessly continue what Guardiola leaves behind – with both managers playing a similar style and being the first to truly implement inverted full-backs. The only issue for the Cityzens would be whether they are capable of pulling Arteta away from the project he has built with the Gunners.

3 Roberto De Zerbi

roberto de zerbi applaudsView pictures in App save up to 80% data.
“I think Roberto is one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years.” said Guardiola when talking to TNT Sports about De Zerbi prior to the Champions League final. “There is no team playing the way they play – unique. I had the feeling he would have an impact and it would be great – but I didn’t expect them to do it in this short space of time.”

It’s safe to say the Brighton boss would be high on Guardiola’s list on who should succeed him at the Etihad. The Italian joined the south-side club back in 2022, joining from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk, replacing Chelsea-bound Graham Potter. Many believed Brighton’s best days were behind them once the English coach left to head across to the capital, but somehow, De Zerbi has revolutionised the Seagulls, taking them to heights their fans never thought imaginable. The Italian took the Albion to Wembley for an FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United, but more importantly, achieved an incredible 6th placed finish in the league, securing European football for the first time in their history.

Playing possession based, attacking football is exactly what the fans in sky blue want to see continued, and something that – with a far higher budget and world-class players – De Zerbi wouldn’t struggle to bring with him up north from the AMEX to the Etihad, should they go decide to go with the Italian. However, 2025 may be too late for City to make their move, as De Zerbi is highly sort after around the world of football.

4 Vincent Kompany

Ready to make the step up

Vincent Kompany looks onView pictures in App save up to 80% data.
Appointing Guardiola’s former captain – and a certified City legend – would be one way of keeping the fans onside once the Spaniard’s time in Manchester comes to an end. As another manager on this list who is only just starting out in their managerial journey, Kompany has done a lot to like so far in just his four years sitting in the dugout. The former City defender achieved a respectable third-placed finish with Anderlecht in his second season as manager, whilst agonisingly losing out to Gent on penalties in the final of the Belgian Cup, before earning himself a move to newly-relegated Burnley in the Championship.

Kompany led the Clarets to a stunning title win in his very first season as a manager on English soil, leading Burnley back to the top flight as his side were the first to break the 100-point barrier since Leicester City in 2013/14, with only three defeats in 46 matches. Since their return to the Premier League, the Clarets have struggled, spending most of the season to date in the bottom three thanks to a squad that most likely won’t be good enough to stay in the league. Guardiola himself admitted that it is ‘written in the stars’ that Vincent Kompany will one day return to Manchester City as manager.

5 Xavi

The prodigal son

Xavi BarcelonaView pictures in App save up to 80% data.
Yet another one of Guardiola’s former players makes the list, and this one was one of the most influential in his entire career. As one-third of the best midfield trio the world has ever seen – with Sergio Busquets and Andrés Iniesta making up the other two-thirds – Guardiola may not be where he is today without Xavi. He follows in the footsteps of many on this list and Guardiola himself, as a once elite footballing brain on the pitch, particularly as a midfielder, that turns into a fine tactical brain off it.

The 43-year-old puts himself slightly higher as a potential candidate than some others on this list, as he has already tasted glory on the touchline by winning the Qatari title with Al Sadd in 2019, before following in his mentor’s footsteps and winning the La Liga title with Barcelona in the 2022/23 season. Just like Kompany and Arteta, Xavi’s style of play is similar to that of Guardiola and could provide some continuity, and he could be tempted away from his beloved Barcelona as the list of troubles for the once-great club continues to mount off the pitch.

6 Xabi Alonso

Taking Bayern Leverkusen by storm

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Yet another one on this list who was simply superb in his playing days appears to be transferring those skills to the dugout. Alonso has worked a minor miracle since his arrival in Germany just 12 months ago, turning Leverkusen from relegation candidates into the runaway leaders at the top of the Bundesliga. Since taking over in October 2022, the former Liverpool man has taken his side to the semi-finals of the Europa League, before going 14 games unbeaten in the league to race clear with a four-point lead over the dominant force of Bayern Munich.

In fact, Alonso turned down the chance to join Guardiola’s backroom staff at the Etihad three years ago, and would undoubtedly be receiving a phone call once more should his form continue over the coming months. He would be in the Premier League already had he not turned down the managerial role at Tottenham this summer, and will likely be receiving a lot more offers in the not-so-distant future. However, City may have to deal with rejection from the Spaniard yet again, as both his former clubs Liverpool and Real Madrid are rumoured to be monitoring his situation, particularly with Carlo Ancelotti’s deal running out at the Bernabeu this summer.

7 Ange Postecoglou

Making a name for himself

Ange Postecoglou’s brilliant post-match interview goes viral after Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea View pictures in App save up to 80% data.
It is a name that some people may not have heard of at all until recent times, but one that is certainly making waves now on British shores. It’s football’s worst-kept secret that the Australian was not first on Spurs’ list of managers in their 72-day hunt to replace Antonio Conte in the summer, which Postecoglou admits himself, but they may just have stumbled across the right one.

Best managerial starts in Premier League History (after 10 games)

1. Ange Postecoglo
2. Guus Hiddin
3. Maurizio Sarri
4. Carlo Ancelotti
5. John Gregory
6. Frank Clark

If a league and cup double, followed by a domestic treble, north of the border in his two years with Celtic wasn’t enough for some, then the Australian has proven himself in the Premier League right away. Starting life at Spurs with eight wins and two draws from his opening 10 matches as manager was an incredible start in the capital. After losing star man Harry Kane to Bayern Munich in the summer, those in the know didn’t even predict that Spurs would make the top six under Postecoglou’s stewardship, let alone the top four. The white side of London is well and truly looking forward now, after summer signings James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, and Micky van de Ven hit the ground running, rather than looking back in anger at their former captain.

Those in charge at City love to appoint from within, and despite his success in Scotland, and positive start in England, it might be his time spent at Yokohama F Marinos, who are part of City Football Group in Japan, that draws them to choose him as Guardiola’s replacement when the time comes.