Those who have read sporten.com for a while know my opinion of England national team manager Thomas Tuchel well. England, which houses the world’s toughest Premier League and has a sea of world-class players to draw from, should be a dominant force on the national team as well.
The fact that they are about as good as Belgium or Japan falls on the fact that they have a leader who really does not have what it takes. – The English Football Association, which was actually in dialogue with Pep Guardiola before the hiring of Thomas Thuchel, has a golden chance to reverse its mishiring. “But they need to be quick, there is also no need to wait for a final yes from Pep Guardiola to give their German national team manager the job.
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Pep Guardiola could be Italy’s next national team manager – after the president of the Italian Football Federation confirmed that there has been contact with the former Manchester City mana.
Guardiola left City at the end of the season in May after ten years at the helm. Although the 55-year-old insisted that he needs a break from football, a national team coaching job could be tempting enough to lure him back into work far earlier than planned. – It’s a bit like having a part-time job, with a lot of time off between the battles.
Italy are looking for a new national team manager after Gennaro Gattuso resigned in April. – The “Azzurri” once again failed to qualify for the World Cup – this was the third World Cup in a row without Italian participation.
Paolo Maldini and Leonardo meet with Guardiola
According to several media outlets, the legendary Italian international Paolo Maldini, who was recently appointed technical director of the Italian Football Federation (FIGC), and his advisor Leonardo have traveled to Barcelona in recent days to hold talks with Guardiola.
The negotiations were confirmed by FIGC president Giovanni Malago, who revealed that “exceptions” can be made to afford Guardiola’s salary level.
“[Financial] exceptions have been made – exceptions that can, for example, apply to the name that is so dominant in these hours: Pep Guardiola,” Malago told Cronache di spogliatoio.
“Exceptions for obvious reasons that I will not explain here, but it is not certain that this will happen,” he added.
Pep Guardiola has never turned down national team work
When Guardiola left City in May, he admitted that he was “so tired” – indicating that he did not want an immediate return to club management. But he has never closed the door on the national team coaching role.
Earlier this year, it was reported that Guardiola had a verbal agreement to take over England after Gareth Southgate’s departure in 2024, but instead chose to stay at City. Now, many believe that he still has a desire to lead England – but with Thomas Tuchel still in place as England manager, Italy may appear to be a tempting option.
Malago: “More candidates in the picture”
Despite the negotiations with Guardiola, Malago emphasizes that neither the Spaniard, Andrea Pirlo nor Roberto Mancini – who are also mentioned as relevant – are the only candidates.
“Absolutely not,” Malago replied when asked if the three were the only names being considered.
“We think about a specific profile, and these names definitely fall into that category,” he added.
England could thus risk losing their dream candidate to arch-rival Italy. The question is whether Guardiola is tempted by Maldini and the Italian charmers – or whether he still dreams of the Three Lions.
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