3 Managers who are worthy of taking over at Manchester City if Pep Guardiola doesn’t sign a new contract

Pep Guardiola has entered the 5th year of his contract at Manchester City which is due to expire at the end of the season. According to Manchester Evening News, Manchester City are stalling over a new deal because they don’t want to pressurize Guardiola into staying and are willing to wait until he makes a decision by himself.

So what happens in the event Guardiola decides to walk away and not sign a new deal? Who will the club hire to continue their ambitious project? Who can they realistically get to sit on the Etihad hot seat as Guardiola’s successor? Below we take a look at three such managers who are worthy of taking over the mantle from Guardiola.

1. Max Allegri

Quite how Max Allegri is still out of a job is baffling. The former Juventus manager has not managed a team since being let go by the Italian giants in 2019. He was a serial winner with the Italians, winning 5 Serie A titles, pushing them to 2 Champions League finals and multiple domestic cups.

Allegri is one of the finest tacticians of the game. Under him, Juve became a winning machine. These factors would no doubt appeal to Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, who would want a manager with a winning mentality.

2. Mauricio Pochettino

While Pochettino may be in talks with the other Manchester club (source – Daily Star), he can be a good fit for the blue side as well. Pochettino was sacked last year by Spurs after an underwhelming start to the season. Since then, he has been waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Man City may be exactly that. A manager who likes to play fast-paced attacking football and a team who are used to playing the same way – sounds like they are made for each other. Pochettino is used to working with stringent transfer funds, something he won’t have to face at City. The only drawback would be his lack of trophies but given City’s resources, that could change easily.

3. Marcelino Toral

Perhaps not one of the more glamorous names but Marcelino is as effective as they come. The way he resurrected Valencia’s fortunes was nothing short of a miracle. Two 4th-place finishes and a Copa Del Rey in 2019 with a dysfunctional team that he took over is no mean feat.

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Even if he isn’t City’s first choice, he shouldn’t be very far from it. Yes, he does not have a lot of experience managing big teams but he has been the manager of Villareal and Sevilla in the past. In all fairness, Marcelino is worthy of being an option for City in case others don’t work out.