Pep Guardiola has been ‘sounded out’ by the FA over taking the England job at the end of the season, with the Manchester City boss set to ‘make a decision in the coming weeks’.
Guardiola is out of contract at the end of the season and while the FA are considering other candidates to become the permanent successor to Gareth Southgate, the Catalan manager is viewed as the ideal option.
The Times report that the FA made ‘informal contact’ with Guardiola at the start of the season, and although the 53-year-old is yet to respond to the approach, he is considering his options and is decide on his next move – if indeed he decides to move – relatively quickly to ‘avoid leaving Manchester City in the lurch’.
Guardiola is into his ninth season as City boss and has won six Premier League titles, four on the bounce, and the treble in 2023.
He clearly fits the criteria outlined by the FA when they advertised the post in July.
It said the governing body wants a manager with “significant experience of English football, with a strong track record delivering results in the Premier League and/or leading international competitions” as well as someone “experienced in successfully identifying, managing and developing English-qualified players”.
When asked about his future on Sunday, Guardiola said on Italian TV show Che Tempo Che Fa: “Leaving City? It’s not true, I haven’t decided yet. And it is not even true that I will be the next England coach. If I had decided I would say it… I don’t know either, anything can happen.”
The report claims the FA want to keep the details of their search for a new manager and any discussions with candidates confidential, though it’s thought they are also interested in Thomas Tuchel, who is out of work having left Bayern Munich at the end of last season.
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But ‘there is a belief among coaching staff at St George’s Park that Guardiola is top of the FA list’.
City want Guardiola to stay at the club into his tenth season, and him spending time with City chairman and friend Khaldoon Al-Mubarak during the international break offers hope of that, given the City chief persuaded Guardiola to extend his contract at the end of the 2020/2021 season when all signs pointed to his departure.
The report claims that ‘out of respect to City, he [Guardiola] wants to give them clarity on his future as early as possible so they have enough time to sound out a potential replacement if he leaves’.
The departure of director of football Txiki Begiristain – a close confidant of Guardiola’s – at the end of the season may also be a factor.
“One of the reasons I extended my contract two times is because Txiki is here,” Guardiola said in 2021. “We work together incredibly well.”
