Pep Guardiola latest: Bayern Munich manager could wait on Premier League move, fuelling Arsenal speculation
Guardiola has already apologised for talking about a move to the Premier League and says he could wait as long as two years before heading to England
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Your support makes all the difference.Pep Guardiola has revealed that he could wait another two years before seeking a Premier League move, fuelling speculation that the current Bayern Munich manager could be holding out for the Arsenal job.
44-year-old Guardiola will leave Bayern at the end of the season after choosing not to renew his contract following three seasons in the Bundesliga, with a move to Manchester City currently the bookmakers’ favourite in terms of his next destination.
City have made no secret of their wish to have Guardiola managing their side at some point in his career, and the prospect of the Spaniard coming to the Etihad Stadium in the summer is strengthened by Guardiola’s relationship with City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, and their Chief Executive, Ferran Soriano, both of which worked with Guardiola during his reign at Barcelona.
Guardiola has already tried to distance himself from replacing current City manager Manuel Pellegrini after apologising for fuelling speculation about a Premier League move, with Louis van Gaal also under pressure at Manchester United and Chelsea on the lookout for a new head coach once Guus Hiddink leaves at the end of the season after replacing Jose Mourinho on an interim basis.
But Guardiola’s most recent quotes suggest that he could put a move to England on ice, and may have opened the door to replacing Arsene Wenger at Arsenal when the Frenchman finally calls it a day.
Speaking ahead of Bayern’s first match of 2016 which came in the form of a friendly against Karlsruher on Saturday, Guardiola said: “When I sign a contract I will announce it immediately. Maybe it will be two years until I will coach a team in England.
“I am very happy about my experience in Munich. I am working until my last second here.
“After that I will go home and wait to see if it is possible to move to England or not. If it's not, then I won't.”
With Wenger’s contract set to expire at the end of next season, Arsenal looked to be out of the running in the hunt for Guardiola with the expectation that he would move to England this summer. However, the north London club are regarded as the type of side Guardiola would suit given his attacking style, and Wenger could decide to end his spell as manager in the summer of 2017 to allow Guardiola to take the reins.
Wenger will celebrate 20 years as Arsenal manager in September this year, and with the Gunners leading the Premier League on goal difference following the 3-3 draw with Liverpool on Wednesday night, with Leicester’s victory over Tottenham putting them level on 43 points.
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