Pep Guardiola has finally arrived at Manchester City, five months after the club announced he was to take over from Manuel Pellegrini in July. For many, he has been the first-choice to take over at the Etihad for some years now, and for them their dream has finally come true, following the expiration of the Catalonian’s Bayern Munich contract.
Guardiola arrives at City on a three-year deal, and despite July 1st being his first official day on the job, he has been working behind the scenes for some time. The Blues confirmed the signing of Ilkay Gundogan from Borussia Dortmund on Pep’s wishes in early June, while links with Celta Vigo winger Nolito have been persistent for some time now, and the 29-year-old’s signing is likely to coincide with the arrival of the new manager.
The Catalonian manager has enjoyed great success at both Barcelona and Bayern Munich, winning 21 trophies since he took over at the Camp Nou in the summer of 2008. This has led to him being highly coveted by every top European club, especially in England, where Guardiola has expressed great desire to manage. The Blues were able to beat several others, including Manchester United, to sealing the 45-year-old’s signature for the coming season.
Guardiola is to be officially presented to fans at an event in Manchester this coming weekend, alongside the new rebrand which has seen the badge revealed at Christmas officially adopted by the club and the team renamed ‘Manchester City’ (dropping the ‘Football Club’). Social media channels have also had handles/usernames altered, whilst the website has undergone a complete redesign.
The new manager starts off his City reign with a return to Germany and the Allianz Arena to face Bayern Munich on July 20th, followed by a journey to China where The Blues will face United (the first reunion of the rivalry between Guardiola and Jose Mourinho) and Dortmund. A friendly against Arsenal in Sweden is to come, before Guardiola faces his first league match at the Etihad against Sunderland in mid-August.
