Pep Guardiola makes U-turn over England job as fresh stance on future emerges
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been heavily linked with the England job, despite saying he didn't want it a few years back, amid ongoing uncertainty over his future at the Etihad Stadium
Pep Guardiola seems to have changed his mind about managing England.
The Spaniard's deal at Manchester City expires at the end of the season, and with negotiations for a renewal currently on hold, his future remains uncertain. The FA, who are on the hunt for Gareth Southgate's long-term successor, are understood to be monitoring the situation closely amid reports the former Barcelona head coach is top of their wish-list.
In years gone by, luring Guardiola to St George's Park seemed like a tall order, not least after he claimed he had no interest in the job back in 2017, insisting that England's manager ought to be English. But on Sunday, the 53-year-old dropped a huge bombshell by refusing to rule himself out of contention.
"I haven't finished my career at Manchester City yet, I still have to think about [my future]," he told Che Tempo Che Fa. "It's not true that I'll be the England coach. I haven't decided anything yet, if I had decided my future at Manchester City I would say so, anything can happen in life."
Speaking after England's 3-1 Nations league win over Finland on Sunday, interim head coach Lee Carsley appeared to suggest he wasn't the right candidate for the job, and encouraged the FA to hire "a world class coach who has won trophies".
Guardiola obviously fits into that category, though there are plenty of other big names in the running. Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, who has been out of work since leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season, has been linked with the position, although Manchester United could snap him up before the Three Lions chance to.
As for English contenders, Eddie Howe and Graham Potter are reportedly in the mix. Like Tuchel, Potter is currently without a job and thus wouldn't cost the FA a penny to appoint. Howe, on the other hand, would need to be bought out of his Newcastle contract, which runs until 2027.
Despite links to the England job, Guardiola insists he's "open" to extending his deal at City and it's understood that figures within the club are optimistic about him staying on beyond the end of the current campaign. The Catalonian has won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, four League Cups and the Champions League at City, making him one of the most successful managers in English football history.
His side are favourites to land a seventh league title this season, but with the threat of sanctions looming over them amid the investigation into the club's 115 charges for alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, the future, for both Guardiola and City, is a real mystery.
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