GUARDIOLA WANTS YOUTH DYNASTY LIKE SIR ALEX
PEP GUARDIOLA dreams of building Manchester City’s answer to the Class of 92.
Guardiola, who has just 18 months left on his City contract, dropped a huge hint that his long-term future may be at the Etihad.
On the eve of the Manchester derby he revealed that he wants to emulate Sir Alex Ferguson by producing a homegrown galaxy of stars to rival the achievements of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Co.
Phil Foden is the poster boy of City’s academy. Rico Lewis and Oscar Bobb have travelled the same pathway, while youngsters like Micah Hamilton and Jacob Wright have also broken into the first-team picture.
But Guardiola, who won the Champions League twice in three seasons with a Barcelona team that included La Masia graduates Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andreas Iniesta, wants more. He said: “We would love it. I remember in Barcelona we played two Champions League finals against United – and seven of the players were from the academy.
“What does it mean? Zero in that we didn’t get any profit – because they were so good and we didn’t sell them!
“But that is the dream. Players who love the club, who were born here.
“Sometimes it’s not possible because foreign players are so good. Erling Haaland is from Norway. We’d love to have Erling from the academy but you have to invest.
“We’ve sold a lot of young players in the last year who make us sustainable. Maybe they could play here, but we’ll never know.
“I don’t know why but academy players have something special that always works.”
City have spent huge sums in the transfer market since Sheikh Mansour bought the club in 2008.
But they also invested £200million
developing a state-of-the-art training campus that incorporates an academy.
City have won three successive Premier League 2 titles – and have also sold players like Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho, Romeo Lavia, James Trafford and Brahim Diaz to raise vital funds.
Guardiola believes the football education City provide is best in class. He said: “What surprises me the most is how well-educated they are. It’s not just their skills. It’s about how they behave, the respect, how they listen.”