Ex-City boss claims Guardiola was targeted in 2013
Manuel Pellegrini has claimed that Manchester City wanted to appoint Pep Guardiola as their manager in 2013 before he eventually got the job.
Guardiola was announced at Pellegrini’s replacement in February this year and took charge in the summer just gone. He has enjoyed mixed success so far this season and his team sit 3rd in the league.
Pellegrini joined City in June 2013, replacing Roberto Mancini. He has since said that the announcement of Guardiola taking over hampered his team’s title challenge last season.
But speaking to Spanish radio station Cadena SER, the former City boss insisted he holds no grudge against his successor, revealing the club made their plans clear from the outset.
“When they signed me, [Manchester] City were very clear with me,” he said. “They came for me and they told me that they wanted Pep Guardiola or me”
“Guardiola did not want to sign and I did it for three years. I fulfilled my phase and Pep wanted to coach in England because he had spent many years in Barcelona. There is no problem.”
Pellegrini now works in China, where he is one of several high profile bosses with a job in the Chinese Super League, but insisted he had offers from Europe before joining Hebei China Fortune,
“I had two offers [from Spain],” Pellegrini continued. “Luckily, there were teams interested in me. It does not matter who they were.
“I have a two-year contract in China and whoever calls me, I do not break my contract. I was recently called from England and I gave the same response.”
On Hebei, he added: “It is a club with a lot of progression. I had offers from Spain, Italy, South America and France…and after many years in Europe, none of the offers that I had were really from a competitive club.”
By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10
