The Telegraph reports the confession that the Catalan coach made to the Brighton players during the last Premier League meeting.
Among the Premier League matches over the weekend, the standout is the match at the Etihad Stadium between Manchester City and Brighton. In the last encounter, dating back to May 24, the De Zerbi’s team managed to hold the reigning three-time champions to a 1-1 draw. There was a celebratory atmosphere at the Amex Stadium due to the club’s first qualification for European competitions.
According to the ‘Telegraph‘ On this occasion, while chatting in the tunnel after the match, Pep Guardiola made an important revelation to a group of Brighton players: “De Zerbi will be the next manager of Manchester City.” The Catalan coach has never held back in offering compliments to the former Sassuolo manager, even going so far as to describe him as one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years. These are quite significant compliments, especially coming from the top.
De Zerbi as one of the potential successors to Guardiola at City, but only when the Spaniard leaves. His contract is set to expire at the end of the next season, although the European champions might propose another contract extension.
Additionally, De Zerbi is not the only interesting candidate for the post-Guardiola era. There is also Arteta, a former assistant to Pep, who has been doing very well with Arsenal and, unlike De Zerbi, has the experience to lead a top club.
De Zerbi, impressive statistics since joining Brighton
Certainly, the evolution of Brighton since De Zerbi’s arrival is evident, both in terms of performance and statistics. The Seagulls have attempted the most shots (662) and the most shots on target (254) than any other Premier League team since De Zerbi took charge, and they boast the third-highest goal tally with 82 goals.
Only three teams have entered the opponent’s penalty area more times than Brighton’s 1,289, and their average possession (61.9%) ranks second only to City. All of this has been achieved with a relatively modest budget, especially by Premier League standards.
What’s next for Guardiola after City?
Guardiola’s contract with Manchester City expires in 2025, which is the final year (for now) of Allegri’s tenure at Juventus. There have been persistent rumors about Pep’s potential move to Juventus, fueled by his recent comments during an event in Cuneo: “Juventus has never called me, but I visit Italy often. I really like it, and the food is excellent.”
Having achieved virtually everything with Manchester City, the only major title left is the FIFA Club World Cup, for which they will be the favorites in December. Having coached in three of Europe’s major leagues (Premier League, La Liga, and the Bundesliga), proposing his brand of football in Serie A or Ligue 1 could be a possibility to consider for the future.
