Former Man City boss admits he was a placeholder for Pep Guardiola

Former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has revealed he always knew he would one day be replaced by Pep Guardiola. 

Pellegrini enjoyed a successful spell in charge of City between 2013 and 2016, lifting the 2013/14 Premier League title and winning two EFL Cups.

However, the final two years of his reign saw City slip to second and fourth in the table, with the club announcing in February 2016 that he would leave at the end of the season to be replaced by Guardiola.

In an in-depth interview with BBC Sport, Pellegrini has revealed he was second choice for the job to Guardiola originally before the Spaniard joined Bayern Munich, but always knew the stars would align eventually.

“I knew before I signed they wanted Pep Guardiola. [Sporting director] Txiki [Begiristain] and [chief executive] Ferran Soriano had worked with him at Barcelona,” said Pellegrini.

“They talked with me three or four months before and said they were going for Pep, but if Pep wasn’t going to be their coach, I was.

“Pep then went to Bayern Munich. I worked there for three years and changed the style of [Roberto] Mancini, which is what they wanted, and they were successful.”

Man City ‘not the same’ club, says Pellegrini

Manchester City are currently battling a host of charges with regards to Premier League Profit and Sustainability Rules.

Of course, Pellegrini is familiar with those circumstances given they were hit with sanctions from UEFA thanks to breaking FFP rules.

Pellegrini — who is now in charge of Real Betis following spells with Hebei China Fortune and West Ham after leaving the Etihad Stadium — believes Man City today are ‘not the same’ as the club he managed, but that they’ve gone on to greater things.

“It is not the same Manchester City as it is today. In the first year, we bought players, but in the second we couldn’t improve the team because we had a Uefa punishment. The third year we improved with Raheem Sterling and Kevin de Bruyne,” Pellegrini added.

“After that, Manchester City continued investing a lot of money in good players to get a better team. Maybe today, with Real Madrid, they are one of the two best teams in the world.

“I didn’t have a problem to leave. I knew they would continue growing because they are very ambitious and know how to develop football.

“When you work with Txiki and Ferran, you know they will not fire you because of a couple of results. I knew I would finish my contract. They give you a lot of security.

“The club continued to grow and is still growing. After I had important offers – especially in Italy – but for different reasons I couldn’t do it. Three years in Manchester was enough.”

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