Pep Guardiola wanted to become a new manager in a surprising way despite Man City’s exit in the past few weeks
Pep Guardiola has emerged as a contender to become the next Italian manager, just weeks after leaving Manchester City.
The Azzurri are looking for the next manager who failed to qualify for the third World Cup in a row.
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Three big words
And according to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport, Guardiola has been shortlisted by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) to succeed Gennaro Gattuso.
The report adds that two former Italian managers, Antonio Conte and Roberto Mancini – who led the Azzurri to Euro 2020 glory – are also set to take over.
Gattuso has stepped down as the manager of the national team following the recent failure of the World Cup qualifiers; he has even taken over at Lazio.
But another Azzurri legend has already arrived: Paolo Maldini has been appointed technical director of the FIGC and president of the technical sector.
The former Italy captain was in the running to replace Gattuso but eventually opted to take part, having not been in charge since he retired from playing back in 2009.
What’s Pep’s next move?
Guardiola left Man City after ten years at the Etihad Stadium.
The Spanish tactician led the club to six Premier League titles and pulled off a historic trophy in the 2022/23 season, pulling off a first Champions League trophy.
The 55-year-old suspect was followed in the North West by one of his former assistants, Enzo Maresca.
Guardiola has kept his cards close to his chest about what might come next for him, but a split between international managers sounds like a sensible move.
Having won many major trophies with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Man City, there is not much left for Guardiola to achieve in club football.
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‘Maybe the national team’
And he may have given a clue to his future in an interview he gave back in December 2024, when he was in the midst of guiding Man City to a record fourth English top flight title.
Speaking to celebrity chef Dani Garcia, Guardiola said: “I will not manage another team.
“I’m not talking about the long-term future, but what I can’t do is leave Manchester City, go to another country and do the same thing now.
“I wouldn’t have had the energy. The first thought somewhere else, the whole training process and so on. No, no, no. Maybe the national team, but that’s different.”
If Guardiola were to be appointed Italy manager, he would make a bit of history.
Only once have the Azzurri been coached by a non-Italian – and that was when Argentina’s Helenio Herrera briefly shared the job with Italy’s Ferruccio Valcareggi in the 1960s.
After the tragedy of missing out on the World Cup yet again, Italy return to competitive action when they host Belgium in the Nations League at the end of September.
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