An Italian Job suits Pep well
SAM ALLARDYCE reckons it won’t be long until Pep Guardiola is boss of Juventus.
Speaking on the first episode of his new YouTube show ‘Sam Allardyce Podcast’, the former England boss (below) said the Italians would do ‘whatever it takes’ to get Guardiola.
Asked if Juve will be able to lure the City boss, Big Sam said: “I think so. If you look at Pep, we were all surprised when he left Barca.
“He decided Germany was the next adventure.
“Then he’s had three seasons there and comes to Manchester City.
“He’s had some great years at Manchester City and it looks like it’s a bit of, ‘I need to go to Italy and challenge myself’.
“It’ll be sad to lose Guardiola because he has brought so much to the Premier League in his time and we’re all better off for him.”
MANCHESTER CITY last night came out fighting in their bid to win a Champions League reprieve by insisting, “This isn’t Armageddon”.
The Premier League champions were hit with a two-year European ban and a £25million fine by UEFA on Friday for failing to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
But City remain firm in their belief that they will win their appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The club’s Abu Dhabi owners – and their Chinese and American partners – are also refusing to rule out the prospect of taking their case to the civil courts.
But while the Champions League ban would cost City a staggering £200m in TV and prize money alone, if upheld, the defiant response from the Etihad Stadium is that the battle is far from over.
A senior boardroom source said: “This isn’t Armageddon. We pretty much knew what the outcome of UEFA’s investigation would be from the moment it was referred to their Adjudicatory Chamber last May.
“So our stance is that this is just another milestone in our quest to clear the name of the club.
“We remain utterly convinced that when we put our evidence before CAS we will see this decision overturned.
“We welcome hearing UEFA’s reasons for making their decision and having our response heard by an independent body.”
City have two weeks to lodge their appeal but it remains to be seen whether CAS are able to sit in judgement before the start of next season. That means City could still take their place in the Champions League for the
2020-21 campaign if they finish in the top four. “We have no preference as to when the matter is heard,” added the source.
“The only thing we have asked for during this entire episode is that Manchester City are given a fair hearing.”
Pep Guardiola and his squad were informed of UEFA’s stunning decision hours before the judgement was made public.
It is claimed that the club falsely inflated money generated by sponsorship deals between 2012 and 2016.
They were fined £49m by UEFA six years ago for FFP violations – although £32m of what was subsequently paid back.
But a series of hacked emails published by German magazine Der Spiegel in November
2018 sparked another investigation. That inquiry has complicated the club’s plans to open talks with Guardiola about the prospect of him signing a new contract.
And while the increasing threat of a ban means it is likely that the City boss will keep his options open about extending his stay in Manchester beyond five years, there is a
belief that he will not walk away in the summer. City also face the task of convincing star players like Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero to trust in their assurances that they will beat any ban.
But what is certain is that Guardiola’s plan to overhaul his squad at the end of the season has been made more difficult by UEFA’s punishment.
There is, however, no prospect of owner Sheikh Mansour cashing in on an investment which has seen him spend more than £1billion transforming City into the Premier League’s most dominant team over the last decade.
A 13 per cent stake in the City Football Group that owns the club as well as others in China, Japan, India, Australia, Spain, Uruguay and the United States was sold to China Media Capital in 2015.
And a 10 per cent share was bought by American equity firm Silver Lake for £389m last November.
Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak made it clear at the time that Mansour would not be taking a single penny from the transaction.
The City source said: “The aim of Sheikh Mansour in 2009 was to make Manchester City the best club in the Premier League.
“Does he want to win the Champions League? Of course, because that’s an achievement that puts you into a Hall of Fame only occupied by an elite group.
“Losing revenue from the Champions League would be a huge blow, no doubt, but Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham have all failed to qualify for the tournament without it being ruinous.
“The bottom line is that City are currently in a much stronger position financially than most of those clubs.”