- Pep Guardiola could soon leave Man City
- City-linked manager confirmed to depart
- Club monitoring options ahead of possible transition
Manchester City are continuing to assess potential successors to Pep Guardiola, with one managerial target now set to leave his current club at the end of the season.
Pep Guardiola might not have much time left at the Etihad Stadium. His contract expires next summer and he could leave Man City even sooner.
This poses a big decision for the club. After 10 years of managerial stability, a change in leadership may become a requirement.
The summer is going to be busy, but City have already identified a few managers to replace Guardiola. And news has today dropped that one of them is set to depart their current club this summer.
Andoni Iraola will not renew his contract with Bournemouth
Basque manager Andoni Iraola has decided not to remain at Bournemouth beyond this season, according to The Athletic.
Iraola may not have come close to winning any silverware at the Cherries, but he did help them to their best ever finish in the Premier League, which is why he was still wanted at the club.
Indeed, negotiations had been underway for 15 months. However, Iraola decided it was the ‘right moment to step away’.
Iraola would be a straightforward appointment for Man City
Guardiola has not confirmed his decision to leave Man City, but it is safe to assume an extension is not on the table.
Therefore, a new boss could be needed soon and of the six managers identified to replace Guardiola, three are now without a club.
Iraola will soon join ex-Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso and City’s former assistant coach Enzo Maresca on the list of City’s targets who are without a club.
As a result, he could be a fairly easy appointment for the Sky Blues, especially as Bournemouth have only been paying the Spaniard £1.5m per year.
How Iraola differs from Guardiola
Bournemouth are currently 11th in the Premier League and Iraola has lost only one of his last five games against a Big Six team, which is a testament to his strong leadership.
While Guardiola focuses on positional play and controlling the ball, Iraola, in contrast, attempts to disrupt this structure.
However, the 43 year old’s style is not chaos for the sake of it. Rather, his disruption methods are controlled. Whereas Guardiola focuses instead on a controlled build-up.
Defensively, Iraola backs it up with high-line aggressive pressing, after which he promotes direct transitions, creating a high-risk, high-reward system.
