The reigning Serie A champions, Juventus are on a hunt for a new coach after Massimiliano Allegri confirmed his departure from the club this summer. With plenty of coaches available but only a few suitable for Juventus to sign, the rumours of Pep Guardiola joining Juventus took the world by storm. But is there any truth in those rumours?
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 18: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola during the FA Cup Final match between Manchester City and Watford at Wembley Stadium on May 18, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Rob Newell – CameraSport via Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola, simply known as one of the best football coaches in the world needs no special introduction. His phenomenal record of winning several titles in each club he has coached in his coaching career only expanded this season when Guardiola won FA Cup, EFL Cup, Community Shield and the Premier League with Manchester City. Proving his coaching skills in Spain with FC Barcelona, in Germany with Bayern Munich and now in England with Manchester City, people started to wonder when will we get to see Pep Guardiola in France and Italy.
When we talk about a coach of his caliber, there are of course only a few clubs that could meet his demands, as there are just so many clubs capable of competing for the Champions League and top spot in their domestic league. Seeing how Juventus is on a search for a new coach, people were quick to link Pep Guardiola who is on a search for new achievements to the “Old Lady” with news reports playing a big part in that as well. While most of the football world would like to see what Pep Guardiola would be capable of achieving with the star-filled Juventus, the rumours of Guardiola leaving Manchester City to join Juventus were marked as “ridiculous” by Alberto Galassi, the Manchester City board member.
After an incredible season with Manchester City, when the Sky Blues won a domestic treble, the Italian media outlets reported the news of Spaniard will replace Massimiliano Allegri at Juventus, news which was soon dismissed as not true.
The rumours of Guardiola leaving City to join Juventus started in March when he said he will stay with his team at least until his contract ends, or until he got sacked. Soon after, the Italian media outlet AGI Sport reported the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss agreed on a 4-year deal with Juventus which would net him a salary of €24m per season. Additionally, it was claimed that the official signing would take place on June 4th, with the official presentation on June 14th at Allianz Stadium. As we know now, the news is far from the truth and they were not taken lightly by Alberto Galassi, who stated:
“A club like Juventus would not have allowed such news to come out like this. It is unbelievable that the media pursue these kinds of rumours. This is ridiculous. Guardiola wants to stay.”
“He is a great professional and he can’t believe his words are not listened to. He does not want to leave. Therefore, the problem does not exist because the whole matter does not exist.”
To that Galassi added, he has spoken with Juventus vice-chairman Pavel Nedved, with whom he laughed at the rumours, as they both realised that they are simply ridiculous.
In the end, Guardiola extended his contract with Manchester City until 2021, which proved the rumours to be false. While it would be great to see how Guardiola would perform in Serie A, he will remain with City for at least 1 more season.
