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28 March 2024

No Pep for Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal; City are new Barca

Pep Guardiola answers a question during a press conference. (GETTY)

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By Staff

Pep Guardiola may have been anointed as the successor to Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson but their blue rivals Manchester City are in pole position to swoop on the former Barcelona coach.

Manchester City's appointments of former Barcelona director of football Txiki Begiristain and chief executive Ferran Soriano have set tongues wagging that it will lead to Guardiola's arrival at the Etihad.

ESPN quoting unnamed sources confirmed that Chelsea is still his most likely destination, unless Arsenal make a more positive move, with indications that they are monitoring the situation in the eventuality that Arsene Wenger opts to call time on his long career with the Gunners.

Guardiola is also linked with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United.

Begiristain, who held the same position at Barcelona from 2008 to 2010.

He will "take responsibility for supporting the first-team manager, Roberto Mancini, in first-team recruitment and operations," a City statement clarified.

Marwood, formerly the club's football administrator, now takes on the role of managing director of the new City Football Academy when it opens at the start of the 2013/14 season, responsible for the recruitment, development, training and management of up to 400 players.

City are taking pains to insist that the shake-up is not targetted at manager Mancini as they struggle to advance from the group stages in the Champions League.