So, after confirming a few weeks ago that he would return to coaching in the summer, and then seemingly implying that he would pick an English Premier League club, Pep’s future has been revealed. As confirmed by the club themselves, Guardiola will join German giants Bayern Munich this summer on a deal that will keep him at the helm till 2016.
The former Barcelona coach will take over from Jupp Heynckes at the end of the current season. Heynckes informed the Bavarian club’s hierarchy in December that he would be retiring in the summer. His decision to retire elicited several statements by Bayern Chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge including, “We have to show understanding for this decision, as a club, but also as friends of Jupp Heynckes…”.
With regards to Pep, Rummenigge added, “Pep Guardiola is one of the most successful coaches in the world, and we’re certain he will add great flair to both FC Bayern and German football. We’re looking forward to the partnership from July 2013.” He also mentioned that they were pleased Guardiola picked Bayern when there were several other offers on the table.
Read Bayern’s statement and post on their official site.
The right choice? Seduced by style? Here are some reactions from all over
Over at the guardian, Sid Lowe says that Pep has been “seduced” by Bayern. From their heritage to the purity of their football, “The former Barcelona manager has been hugely impressed by the project…”
Commenting on the fact that he picked the German club over some lucrative offers from the EPL he adds, “Guardiola’s decision has surprised and yet somehow you always felt like this story may not have a formulaic ending. The former Barcelona coach is different, from the spell in Italy and Qatar to the sabbatical in New York, from Barcelona B to the first team, on rolling one-year deals, to the sense of defending a cause, a kind of moral tone to his discourse. The only other Spanish team he would like to coach, he once said, is Athletic Bilbao, the side made up only of Basque players. Perhaps it was too easy to fall for the romanticism, too naive, but he never seemed to fit at Chelsea.”
Read Sid’s entire article, including what he thinks of the 3-year deal (longer than any he signed at Barca) here on the guardian’s website.
Over at ESPN FC, Graham Hunter goes through some of the reasons Pep chose Bayern, saying, “Guardiola has a clear philosophy. It’s not just about how his teams play, nor solely about winning. It’s about how to work, what to dedicate your enthusiasm and energy to and what constitutes consistent standards — it’s about having a dream and pursuing it ruthlessly.” and, “Moreover, he believes that those above him — the ones who run the club — must have a clear, defined and realizable philosophy that, once applied, will be maintained even through stormy weather because, irrespective of a momentary rough patch, a road well chosen is worth the long journey.”
Read Graham’s entire post and his analysis of Pep’s decision here on ESPN FC.
Also on ESPN FC, Spain Correspondent Dermot Corrigan writes that Pep’s agent has revealed it was Bayern’s “potential” that convinced Guardiola to join the German club: “It was signed before Christmas, around December 20. Bayern was chosen because of all the teams who made offers it was the best,” Orobitg told EFE Radio. “We went over the offers and this is not the team which offered the most money. It was chosen for the organisation there, for the potential and for its players…”
Read the entire article here.
Over at Goal.com, Ewan Roberts writes on how Guardiola’s snub is a blow to the EPL: “But not anymore. English football, like Italy before it, has been usurped, and Pep Guardiola’s decision to snub the Premier League for Bayern Munich and the Bundesliga highlights the descent of the so-called ‘greatest league on the planet’.
Manchester City had hoped to tempt Guardiola to the Etihad, having already employed ex-Barcelona honchos Txiki Begiristain and Ferran Soriano – the 41-year-old manager was seen as an ideal fit for the club’s La Masia-influenced vision…
…But Guardiola picked Bayern, who were defeated in last year’s Champions League final by Chelsea. Since then, English clubs have been treading water, slipping further behind the pace of Spain and Germany – whose emphasis on the production of youth has invigorated the leagues (and may well have swayed Guardiola’s thinking).”
Read Ewan’s entire article on how he feels that Pep’s decision is just another sign of the decline of English football here on goal.com
What do you think about Pep’s move to Germany? Is it a calculated gamble? Was footballing philosophy at the core of the move? Do you think this is a sign that the EPL is in decline? Share your views with us on twitter and Facebook.
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