Two new candidates emerge to replace Guardiola as Arteta's chances fade

06 October 2023 , 11:29

1168     0

Pep Guardiola has less than two years left to run on his Manchester City contract (Image: Getty Images)

Ange Postecoglou and Michel have emerged as new candidates to become the next Manchester City boss IF Pep Guardiola leaves the club at the end of his contract.

Guardiola, 52, has less than two years left on his current deal at the Etihad Stadium, having only signed fresh terms last November. Since joining City in 2016, Guardiola has won five Premier League titles and finally lifted the Champions League after beating Inter Milan in the final back in June.

Alongside those trophies, Guardiola has also won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup on multiple occasions and will no doubt go down as City's most successful ever manager. This means replacing someone of Guardiola's calibre and quality could be tough for City if he does depart in 2025.

There is no pressing urgency for City to draw up a list of potential replacements for Guardiola, although a number of names have already entered the frame, including Postecoglou and Michel. According to The Athletic, Postecoglou is someone the City Football Group (CFG) liked even before he moved to Celtic.

The Aussie joined Celtic in 2021 from Yokohama F Marinos, who are part of CFG in Japan, and he went on to win two Scottish Premiership titles in his two years there. However, Postecoglou decided to make the jump to Tottenham in the summer, becoming the club's new permanent manager.

Pep Guardiola went back on his word after blocking last-ditch Barcelona transfer

Postecoglou has made quite the impact in his short time in north London so far, with Spurs winning five and drawing two of their seven Premier League matches this season. He has instilled an attack-minded style of football, which has excited the Tottenham faithful, with James Maddison and Son Heung-min at the heart of the new system, while Yves Bissouma has looked transformed in the middle of the park.

Ange Postecoglou has impressed during his short time at Tottenham (Getty Images)

As for Michel, he has guided Girona to an impressive start with the club third in La Liga after picking up 19 points from a possible 24 so far this season. Only Barcelona and Real Madrid have a better record than Girona with Michel is doing a superb job at the Catalonia-based side.

Girona is also another CFG club and it is understand Michel has already impressed Guardiola and those around him, having joined the club in July 2021 after being sacked by Huesca. Michel has a 45 percent win ratio during his time at Girona, after taking charge of 98 matches so far.

Michel has done an excellent job at Girona (Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Mikel Arteta is someone that has been on City's agenda for some time. But the Spaniard's chances of taking over from Guardiola has calmed due to him transforming Arsenal into a title-chasing force. The Gunners pushed City all the way last season, before falling short and finishing second.

The Athletic claim that Arteta could have had a better chance of replacing Guardiola before he proved himself as an elite coach at the Gunners. This is because the more he succeeds at Arsenal, the harder it would become for the Spaniard to be lured from leaving a Premier League title-challenger to join City.

Roberto De Zerbi, who is doing a remarkable job at Brighton, has close ties with Guardiola and the City boss is a huge fan of the Italian. In fact, Guardiola even borrowed some of De Zerbi's ideas as City went on to win the treble last season. Speaking ahead of his side's trip to the Amex Stadium in May, Guardiola said: "I think Roberto is one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years.

Roberto De Zerbi guided Brighton to a sixth-place finish last season (Getty Images)

"There is no team playing the way they play - unique. I had the feeling he would have an impact and it would be great – but I didn't expect them to do it in this short space of time. Twenty or 25 chances, they monopolise the ball in a way it hasn't been for a long time, a keeper like a holding midfielder, if you don't play at a high level he can do whatever he wants against you.

"They deserve the success, and are a team I try to learn from. (They are like a) Michelin star restaurant, unique. In Catalonia the best cook changed the cuisine, and Brighton are playing with something special and it's an incredible challenge."

Kieran King