The breaking news on transfer deadline day was not that another big name star had moved to the Premier League, it was that the best manager in the world is moving to England next season.
It was one of the worst kept secrets in football that Pep Guardiola would be taking over at Manchester City this summer, and on Monday City confirmed that Guardiola has signed a three-year deal to manage City and would take over on Jun3 30.
“Out of respect for Manuel Pellegrini and the players, the Club wishes to make its decision public to remove the unnecessary burden of speculation”, City said in a statement.
“Manuel, who is fully supportive of the decision to make this communication, is entirely focussed on achieving his targets for the season ahead and retains the respect and commitment of all involved with the leadership of the Club”, City said.
Lets forget for a moment that City and Bayern could face each other in the Champions League this season and instead look at the impact that the arrival of Guardiola will have on City’s Premier League rivals.
The team impacted the most by the news is City’s rivals Manchester United. Since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson, United have lurched from one crisis to another, and are on track to miss out on Champions League football for the second time in three years. United might be the biggest club in England, but there are aboiut to be eclipsed by their nosy neighbours.
Guardiola will win trophies at City and that puts the pressure on United CEO Ed Woodward to bring in the only manager in world football with as a big a presence as Guardiola and that is Jose Mourinho. And if United do go the Mourimho way, what does that mean for Ryan Giggs who has spent the last 2 1/2 years being groomed for the United job?
Just think about the scenario of Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp all managing within 35 miles of each other next season!
But the impact of Guardiola’s arrival will be felt well outside the Manchester-Liverpool area. His arrival guarantees that City will be big spenders once more in the transfer window next summer, adding to what is already the strongest squad in the Premier League.
City’s spending will have a trickle down impact on the other clubs in England with title aspirations. United will be forced to match City’s spending just to stay relevant in Manchester.
Arsene Wenger has loosened the purse springs a little recently, but if City spend £200m would Arsenal spend £100m and bring in two world class players instead of one?
And what about Chelsea and Spurs? Chelsea will be without Champions League football next season and Roman Abramovich knows he will have to spend big to retool a Chelsea squad desperately in need of some new players. As for Spurs, they could have Champions League football again next season, but with a new stadium being built will they have the money to match their top four rivals next summer?
The arrival of Pep Guardiola will change the landscape of the Premier League and the repercussions of that will be felt for years to come.
