The Catalan coach will be joining Manchester City in the summer on a three-year contract, according to a statement the English club released this morning. Current Man City coach Manuel Pelligrini has said he’s at peace with the decision and will see his contract out until the end of the season.
Guardiola’s move isn’t a total surprise; he announced his intention to leave German champions Bayern Munich in December. But for those of us still naive enough to believe in the glory of football, it does come as a blow. After all, this is the man widely believed to be one of the greatest tactical minds the game has ever produced, a purist who played for and captained Barcelona for most of his career before leading them to triumph as a coach. He then moved to Bayern, who, rich as they are, are still a traditional club with a loyal fanbase built around the city of Munich. Manchester City, on the other hand... Well, just read this.