Pep Guardiola at City next?

Crossie said:
I think that's exactly the problem. You speak, understanably, as a fan of the club. Managers, coaches, players however take a very different approach to chosing an employer. This stature, respect, standing stuff is overrated by fans. It matters very little what you have achieved in the past; it matters what's currently in place and the prospects for short-, medium- and long-term success. To ignore that right now City's set up is extremely attractive is pretty weird.
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Except I didn't actually ignore City's set-up being attractive but simply spoke about Manchester United. I stressed on United being one of the biggest football clubs around which it is, just like Barcelona and Bayern. And yes, it does quite often matter. It's why Klopp chose Liverpool, among other reasons. Pep might not see himself as a "fixer" in the same mould but to treat "stature, respect, standing" as irrelevant is as silly. It can be very important as proven by the last big manager to move away from German football recently. People like to assume that footballers and managers are emotionless and passionless souls who just wander from one paycheck to another but it's not always the case. Schweinsteiger is a good example. He absolutely loves being at United. You can easily tell that the allure of United means something to him. I'm not saying it necessarily does to Pep, or that he will join us. I think he'll join City, and I think he'll join City even if he wants to manage us, but that's another matter.

United is a "extremely attractive" too, whatever Pep's desires are. We have huge financial resources, are possibly the world's most famous football club, give the manager autonomy and power (unlike what you said) and are despite recent results IMO on the way up and maybe a summer away from being very close to where we want to be.

Crossie said:
I didn't mean any player of your current squad but on your board, and also Woodward.
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Tell me who these big egos on our board are.

Crossie said:
Please forgive my ignorance but from the outside, that's not at all the impression I've gotten since SAF has left, and rightfully so. No single person should become so powerful to be able to not just make but break a club. Pep's spell at Bayern confirmed my perception that he needs devoted disciples but is pretty much in a huff as soon as he gets challenged, and I'm convinced that this will play a major role in his decision for his new club.
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What impression do you get? Because it comes across to me as you've gotten the wrong impression, possibly due to a few ex-players like Scholes making noises 1.5 years into a boring tenure of the manager. LVG has basically got a free reign over the football club with just Woodward above him fully supporting him. I defend him a lot but noone, not even he, can say he has had interference of any sort, unless all those jokes about Rooney's contract are actually true.
 
@amolbhatia50k
It's the opposite of being silly if you try and put yourself in the shoes of mangers, coaches and players. If you'd read my post, I have neither written nor implied at all that they just follow the bigger/biggest pay cheques. In fact that's exactly what I have been opposing in threads in which users suggested all United has to do to get player A or manager B is throwing shitloads of money to them.

United in current status certainly appeals to some but you're in competition to others, and MUFC may not be the hottest bird any longer. IMHO United's problems are, as many fans have written in the reality check and other threads, deeper than just a few signings of players or a manager away. It's not pretty for a fan to accept that (ask me how I know) but that's IMHO the only way to deal with it.
 
Manchester United is a football club, not a political party so all these deeper issues are in some way overblown nonsense by a sport that is magnified 100x by a ridiculous global audience.
We have the largest following in the world and about to post the highest revenue ever recorded by a sports team. What else is wrong at our club that goes beyond signing the proper players in the most needed positions with a competent manager thrown into the mix?
 
Has anybody thought of the political angle? Pep has associated himself with the cause of Catalan independence (http://goo.gl/VhepR4). He 'agreed to stand as a candidate for the two main parties seeking independence' from Spain. Now one of these parties is the CUP, who are unabashedly leftist, and other party is centrist liberal. How would Pep's obviously highly developed sense of justice—as a fringe member of the 'intellectual leftist thinktank' of Catalunya—square with the pet project of Mansour, the oil billionaire from the state which has shipped such heavy criticism for its human rights record?
 
::sonny:: said:
He will end at City, where he can easily make his 0-10-0.

We don't have the players to play his football.
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City have four fullbacks all over 30.

Fernandinho, Toure, Fernando and Delph as CMs.

Aguero who gets injured a lot.

People seem to think he'd walk in and get City dominating like Barca and Bayern. No he won't. Especially with that midfield. Peps teams have always had great fullbacks and CMs.
 
Tincanalley said:
Has anybody thought of the political angle? Pep has associated himself with the cause of Catalan independence (http://goo.gl/VhepR4). He 'agreed to stand as a candidate for the two main parties seeking independence' from Spain. Now one of these parties is the CUP, who are unabashedly leftist, and other party is centrist liberal. How would Pep's obviously highly developed sense of justice—as a fringe member of the 'intellectual leftist thinktank' of Catalunya—square with the pet project of Mansour, the oil billionaire from the state which has shipped such heavy criticism for its human rights record?
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I'm sure he doesn't give a feck about City's owners.

Qatar sponsored Barca, he played there, he backed Qatars bid and he was touted to manage Qatar at the World Cup 2022.
 
Think he's the reason we wont sack Van gaal before the Stoke game at least. We want to know what he wants to do. Perfectly reasonable thing to do if that is the case.
 
Tincanalley said:
Has anybody thought of the political angle? Pep has associated himself with the cause of Catalan independence (http://goo.gl/VhepR4). He 'agreed to stand as a candidate for the two main parties seeking independence' from Spain. Now one of these parties is the CUP, who are unabashedly leftist, and other party is centrist liberal. How would Pep's obviously highly developed sense of justice—as a fringe member of the 'intellectual leftist thinktank' of Catalunya—square with the pet project of Mansour, the oil billionaire from the state which has shipped such heavy criticism for its human rights record?
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That's an interesting angle. I don't know as much about the political climate to comment much but if Pep is as politically inclined then that may be a potentially decisive factor in his decision.
 
Bojan11 said:
City have four fullbacks all over 30.

Fernandinho, Toure, Fernando and Delph as CMs.

Aguero who gets injured a lot.

People seem to think he'd walk in and get City dominating like Barca and Bayern. No he won't. Especially with that midfield. Peps teams have always had great fullbacks and CMs.
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True that. They don't have enough money to make more signings and rejuvenate the squad.
 
Tincanalley said:
This has to be a turning point, a historic moment. The next few weeks and months will decide the shape of the next decade in the Premiership (Apart from Ranieri, LVG, Klopp stories). Pep and Mou at a loose end, and probably very soon Pellligrini and Benitez too. Like buses, it's either a feast or a famine.
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You must be a tubby chap if you feast on buses. But I agree, the managerial merry-go-round at the top this season is more confused than a brain cell on TOWIE.
 
Spark said:
I'm sure he doesn't give a feck about City's owners.

Qatar sponsored Barca, he played there, he backed Qatars bid and he was touted to manage Qatar at the World Cup 2022.
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Just loves to be loved, then? Or a headline ho'?

I still think this could play a part in his ruminations as he seems to be on a trajectory of greater political awareness, perhaps with a eye to the future. Other things that might sway him ... starting a list here
  • Does he really want to play in a team what wears light blue?
  • Has anyone told him about the Manchester climate? Waterproof skin tight Armani suit with wellies?.
  • David de Gea's missus
  • Senor Josep María Orobitg (EDIT: and how he gets on with Senor Mendez)
  • All that old guff with SAF
  • Whether there's a vacancy here
  • Which move would piss off Jose more. (I guess that doesn't Mata anymore)
 
Crossie said:
@amolbhatia50k
It's the opposite of being silly if you try and put yourself in the shoes of mangers, coaches and players. If you'd read my post, I have neither written nor implied at all that they just follow the bigger/biggest pay cheques. In fact that's exactly what I have been opposing in threads in which users suggested all United has to do to get player A or manager B is throwing shitloads of money to them.
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Except that's (chuck money at managers) not the argument I'm putting forward so let's focus on my argument which you're disputing. Oppose that in other threads all you will but my point was different. It was, that just like City is an exciting prospect for managers, so is United. They have a better squad but we are a far bigger club. It does count no matter how much you chose to ignore it. I've just give you an example of it mattering with Klopp which proves what I'm saying is correct.

Do note that I didn't say this was the case specifically for one Pep Guardiola.

Crossie said:
United in current status certainly appeals to some but you're in competition to others, and MUFC may not be the hottest bird any longer. IMHO United's problems are, as many fans have written in the reality check and other threads, deeper than just a few signings of players or a manager away. It's not pretty for a fan to accept that (ask me how I know) but that's IMHO the only way to deal with it.
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In competition to others? We were never not in competition to others. Even Real Madrid are in competition to others. Barcelona got Neymar when they wanted him. Bayern are in competition to others. They're actually losing Guardiola to an English side. So yeah, we've never not had competition or been the hottest bird.

You seem intent on painting an overly grim picture of things, but new signings, particularly in attack and a manager that can get the best out them will go a long way to taking us back to the top. That's generally how it works really. The manager and players are the most importance pieces of the puzzle after all. I do think we need some fundamental changes in the structure such as getting in a DOF because Woodward doesn't seem to be enough for me. And my expectations of post SAF United are pretty low anyway. But I'm not going to pretend that having the best manager around, and 3-4 new signings in attack wouldnt take us past/close to/match City who are consistently a let down themselves compared to the team they have. It's hardly like our competition in England right now is Bayern or Barcelona.
 
@amolbhatia50k
As you continue to claim that the fact that United is (in which department ever) a bigger club plays a role and I continue to say that this is a fan's view but not the one managers, coahces and players primiarily take, let's stop here. To pretend that Klopp is the rule and not an exception - something which most of Caf users have been denying until he arrived at Pool - is not helping your argument. You also defiantly rejecting that United has deeper problems than just a few signings, which is fine with me, close your eyes if you prefer to do that, but again no point in discussing. My bad, sorry that I have responded to your post in the first place. :)
 
Crossie said:
@amolbhatia50k
As you continue to claim that the fact that United is (in which department ever) a bigger club plays a role and I continue to say that this is a fan's view but not the one managers, coahces and players primiarily take, let's stop here. To pretend that Klopp is the rule and not an exception - something which most of Caf users have been denying until he arrived at Pool - is not helping your argument. You also defiantly rejecting that United has deeper problems than just a few signings, which is fine with me, close your eyes if you prefer to do that, but again no point in discussing. My bad, sorry that I have responded to your post in the first place. :)
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I'm not actually closing my eyes to any of that. I've already said that the current structure which seems to depend (outside the manager) on just Ed Woodward who isn't a football man, is not ideal. And that I'd like to see a DOF working in tandem with him. However, I'm simply not pretending as if it's the end of the world that we have some structural problems. Good decision-making is how you solve problems. And one such decision would be to get someone like Pep in, who in turn would attract better players. Besides, Ed is extremely good at certain elements of his job and will only grow into other elements, but more importantly I hope will see reason in growing the decision making structure around him. So yeah, I'm not rejecting anything, I'm saying there are issues but that they can be resolved. It's not as if City are perfect either. They epitomize under performance, if anything.

My argument doesn't need help because it's a rock solid. Only problem is the manner in which you're interpreting it. I never said that prestige, size and standing of a club is the sole/main reason for a manager picking a club. I said that it is relevant and not a non-factor. There's a difference. Pep might well choose us. He might choose City based on their squad being stronger or whatever other reasons. Another manager might find us more attractive. feck knows. Either way, United are a bloody attractive club to manage, and the club being as big as it is does help to do that. A lot of Bundesliga fans like to play down the English clubs and I can never understand why. Maybe the people who big up the PL too much get to them or something.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
I'm not actually closing my eyes to any of that. I've already said that the current structure which seems to depend (outside the manager) on just Ed Woodward who isn't a football man, is not ideal. And that I'd like to see a DOF working in tandem with him. However, I'm simply not pretending as if it's the end of the world that we have some structural problems. Good decision-making is how you solve problems. And one such decision would be to get someone like Pep in, who in turn would attract better players. Besides, Ed is extremely good at certain elements of his job and will only grow into other elements, but more importantly I hope will see reason in growing the decision making structure around him. So yeah, I'm not rejecting anything, I'm saying there are issues but that they can be resolved. It's not as if City are perfect either. They epitomize under performance, if anything.
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Good for you but again, you put the faith of a fan in which may not be shared by Pep or any other manager for that matter. Pep or whoever it is won't freck too much about making excellent sponsoring deals. Hiswas a discussion about your argument about United being a bigger club matters a great deal in the consideration of a manager, coach, player.

amolbhatia50k said:
My argument doesn't need help because it's a rock solid. Only problem is the manner in which you're interpreting it. I never said that prestige, size and standing of a club is the sole/main reason for a manager picking a club. I said that it is relevant and not a non-factor. There's a difference. Pep might well choose us. He might choose City based on their squad being stronger or whatever other reasons. Another manager might find us more attractive. feck knows. Either way, United are a bloody attractive club to manage, and the club being as big as it is does help to do that. A lot of Bundesliga fans like to play down the English clubs and I can never understand why. Maybe the people who big up the PL too much get to them or something.
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Your definition of rock-solid is apparently miles off mine, furthermore you argue again from the perspective of a fan, which is what I'be been challenging from the start.
Your last comment, however, is weird. I've never played down English clubs, I just have an opinion based on what I observe and don't get bamboozled by big money or big names.
 
Crossie said:
Good for you but again, you put the faith of a fan in which may not be shared by Pep or any other manager for that matter. Pep or whoever it is won't freck too much about making excellent sponsoring deals. His was a discussion about your argument about United being a bigger club matters a great deal in the consideration of a manager, coach, player.
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It's not good for me. It's good for the football club that it has a big place in the footballing world. Pep can choose to go to City or to Timbuktu, it's not the point I'm arguing. I'm saying that the stature/size of the club does make it more attractive which is blatantly true. I have no idea why you're arguing something as basic as that. Forget it's current team, does the name Bayern Munich mean nothing at all? Of course it does. Will Pep say "I want United because they're so great, and noone else irrespective of their team!". Of course not. But in general, it does matter, to varying degrees.

Also, your meaning of stature seems to only relate to things like "sponsorship deals", which I guess shows that we have a understanding of what that term even means.

Crossie said:
Your definition of rock-solid is apparently miles off mine, furthermore you argue again from the perspective of a fan, which is what I'be been challenging from the start.
Your last comment, however, is weird. I've never played down English clubs, I just have an opinion based on what I observe and don't get bamboozled by big money or big names.
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I'm not arguing as a fan. I'm arguing on plain and solid logic. A club by being bigger and more prestigious will naturally be more attractive. They're not bad things to have on your side. Are they the decisive reasons for a manager to pick a club? Nope.

The above logic has nothing to do with fan. Feel free to find the "fan" element in that, please.

The last comment wasn't weird. A lot of posters have noticed that from German posters here. It's a bit of a common theme. But I understand the over-hyping of English teams/league can have that negative retaliatory effect.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
The last comment wasn't weird. A lot of posters have noticed that from German posters here. It's a bit of a common theme. But I understand the over-hyping of English teams/league can have that negative retaliatory effect.
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This is so true. It's a vicious circle and really difficult to find a balance between arguing both extremes. I get way too often dragged into extreme discussions that start by defending German football against stupid statements and then I realise 3 posts later that I sound way more negative about English football than I want to.
 
Balu said:
This is so true. It's a vicious circle and really difficult to find a balance between arguing both extremes. I get way too often dragged into extreme discussions that start by defending German football against stupid statements and then I realise 3 posts later that I sound way more negative about English football than I want to.
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:lol: I can imagine. Some of the opinions, particularly about the Premier League as a whole, can sound absurd even for us who follow it closer than other leagues.
 
Crossie said:
@amolbhatia50k
As you continue to claim that the fact that United is (in which department ever) a bigger club plays a role and I continue to say that this is a fan's view but not the one managers, coahces and players primiarily take, let's stop here. To pretend that Klopp is the rule and not an exception - something which most of Caf users have been denying until he arrived at Pool - is not helping your argument. You also defiantly rejecting that United has deeper problems than just a few signings, which is fine with me, close your eyes if you prefer to do that, but again no point in discussing. My bad, sorry that I have responded to your post in the first place. :)
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Does your tag line tell us that you will be a United supporter if Mou comes here, and your loyalties are in conflict when that's against Dortmund. And Tut mir Leid but 'my bad' cracks me up, makes me feel I'm in an American soap. Do you ever get to say 'your bad?'
 
LeChuck said:
@Balu - could you shed a little light on something for me. With Pep at Bayern, why did he not want to stay on? Was it his decision or Bayern's to not renew the contract? Generally, how well have the two worked together? Apologies if it's been discussed already.
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I think we have to accept that Pep in general doesn't want to stay for long. He said before that his 4th season at Barca was a mistake and that he should have left after the 3rd. There have been minor issues but overall there wasn't any relevant conflict between the board (Sammer, Rummenigge) and Pep at the club, that could be seen as the reason for him to leave and both Sammer and Rummenigge spoke highly about him and his work yesterday after we announced his decision.

It's difficult to compare Pep to other managers like Ferguson or Ancelotti. He's obsessed with details in a way none of the other top managers is. It's what pretty much all his players and everyone who worked with him say. He works with a crazy intensity and demands so much from his players. He lacks the pragmatism managers need to do well longterm. It's simply not there and it can be frustrating at times when he experiments too much. It's better to compare him to someone like Sacchi, who was a bit similar in that regard. I don't expect him to be a manager for long either. The rumours that he wants to take a job in England, then manage a nationalteam and then do something else, maybe go back to Barcelona as club president or something like that seem reasonable to me. His way of coaching isn't sustainable, not for him or his teams. But it's an amazing ride if you have him at your club for a few years.
 
Why go to a club with $hithouse fans and no culture to speak of? The only reason I see for taking that job is money, but he'd earn plenty of that anywhere he chooses to go.

These are the clubs I'd rank above City in terms of attractiveness:

Arsenal - Tradition and the right player material and football culture for Pep's style
PSG - Paris is a nice place to be, good squad with a lot left to prove
United - Most prestigious club on offer
Real - Grab the popcorn and get comfortable, the $hitstorm this would unleash would be wildly entertaining. Scary prospect, though. I know, never gonna happen.
 
Balu said:
I think we have to accept that Pep in general doesn't want to stay for long. He said before that his 4th season at Barca was a mistake and that he should have left after the 3rd. There have been minor issues but overall there wasn't any relevant conflict between the board (Sammer, Rummenigge) and Pep at the club, that could be seen as the reason for him to leave and both Sammer and Rummenigge spoke highly about him and his work yesterday after we announced his decision.

It's difficult to compare Pep to other managers like Ferguson or Ancelotti. He's obsessed with details in a way none of the other top managers is. It's what pretty much all his players and everyone who worked with him say. He works with a crazy intensity and demands so much from his players. He lacks the pragmatism managers need to do well longterm. It's simply not there and it can be frustrating at times when he experiments too much. It's better to compare him to someone like Sacchi, who was a bit similar in that regard. I don't expect him to be a manager for long either. The rumours that he wants to take a job in England, then manage a nationalteam and then do something else, maybe go back to Barcelona as club president or something like that seem reasonable to me. His way of coaching isn't sustainable, not for him or his teams. But it's an amazing ride if you have him at your club for a few years.
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Thanks - I largely agree with what you're saying, on his style, methods, demands etc. For me with his time at Barca, it was pretty obvious and apparent he was jaded at the end. I think Mourinho was extremely clever and managed to suck him in to the whole media charade, bitching, petty behaviour, which transcended to the Barca team. But yea, he was jaded, and I can see why he didn't want to stay on and go on a sabbatical.

But I don't get that same feeling with his time at Bayern which is what prompted my question. For one, I don't think he's hit the heights in the CL that he would have benchmarked himself to hit. Although domestically he's done very well. So, I am a little bit surprised he doesn't want to stay on or that Bayern aren't making more of an effort to keep him on.
 
Libano said:
Why go to a club with $hithouse fans and no culture to speak of? The only reason I see for taking that job is money, but he'd earn plenty of that anywhere he chooses to go.
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The things with that argument is - every tradition has a genesis somewhere, and sometimes one manager can be the start of something really big, and that immortalizes him. Maybe the fact that City have no managerial great to speak of will appeal to Guardiola because you know what, he could be their first managerial great, as opposed to United where he will always remain in the shadows of Fergie and Sir Matt; just as his stint at Bayern didn't really elevate his stature in the game, and in due time his time in Munich will be overlooked.

As opposed to that, he could be a demigod type Sacchi like figure for City, because even though Milan won the European Cup twice and were a big club before Berlusconi bought them, Arrigo was practically working with a blank slate, and he didn't have the looming figure of past managerial legends to affect his legacy. And now, he will probably always be considered the greatest manager of Milan even though he stayed for only 4 seasons, because in 4 seasons he won them 2 European Cups, and introduced a revolutionizing playing style, and set the ball rolling in terms of Milan winning 5 European Cups in the next ~20 years.

The City job might look comparatively lackluster to us as United fans because we're an elite club with a history and tradition that City can't match, but if we detach ourselves and consider it from a neutral perspective, it does have certain appeals because he could be a pioneering figure for them.
 
Maybe he is simply not quite feeling the Bavarian / German culture as much? It's an acquired taste. But he also knows that it needs to come together now, this season. He has the perfect team, everybody understands the philosophy, this is the end of the line, win or lose. I can relate to this.
 
Invictus said:
The things with that argument is - every tradition has a genesis somewhere, and sometimes one manager can be the start of something really big, and that immortalizes him. Maybe the fact that City have no managerial great to speak of will appeal to Guardiola because you know what, he could be their first managerial great, as opposed to United where he will always remain in the shadows of Fergie and Sir Matt; just as his stint at Bayern didn't really elevate his stature in the game, and in due time his time in Munich will be overlooked.

As opposed to that, he could be a demigod type Sacchi like figure for City, because even though Milan won the European Cup twice and were a big club before Berlusconi bought them, Arrigo was practically working with a blank slate, and he didn't have the looming figure of past managerial legends to affect his legacy. And now, he will probably always be considered the greatest manager of Milan even though he stayed for only 4 seasons, because in 4 seasons he won them 2 European Cups, and introduced a revolutionizing playing style, and set the ball rolling in terms of Milan winning 5 European Cups in the next ~20 years.

The City job might look comparatively lackluster to us as United fans because we're an elite club with a history and tradition that City can't match, but if we detach ourselves and consider it from a neutral perspective, it does have certain appeals because he could be a pioneering figure for them.
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I like your reasoning. But it's quite a step back in terms of quality of players - he'll need a lot of restructuring. Bayern was already a much better team at the start of his stint than the current (or any) City side. He'll have a mountain to climb.
 
Libano said:
I like your reasoning. But it's quite a step back in terms of quality of players - he'll need a lot of restructuring. Bayern was already a much better team at the start of his stint than the current (or any) City side. He'll have a mountain to climb.
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If that's the case, the only teams he can realistically move to are Barca, Madrid, Juve.
Any other team in the World is going to be a major step down.
 
Well he probably has already agreed at least verbally with whoever his next club will be. I think he had done the same with Bayern. So City are probably the destination with Chelsea next with an outside chance it's us.
 
JustAFan said:
Well he probably has already agreed at least verbally with whoever his next club will be. I think he had done the same with Bayern. So City are probably the destination with Chelsea next with an outside chance it's us.
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This is how i feel.
 
JustAFan said:
Well he probably has already agreed at least verbally with whoever his next club will be. I think he had done the same with Bayern. So City are probably the destination with Chelsea next with an outside chance it's us.
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Why are you an outside chance? He recently stated Chelsea would need 10 new players if he were to join, which pretty much rules us out.
 
Gol123 said:
Why are you an outside chance? He recently stated Chelsea would need 10 new players if he were to join, which pretty much rules us out.
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Chelsea have less options since they aren't going to rehire Mourinho unless they want to look stupid. So i think Abramovich will go harder for Pep now that Ancelotti is also tied up. Simeone isn't going to leave Atletico anytime soon and there has been no evidence that he speaks english.
 
He'll be at City. My reasoning: Pep has known he would not continue at Bayern for some time. Even though it was announced just now, he knew his decision weeks ago. Any reasonable person would have already planned a next move before leaving his current job, and one month ago Van Gaal was not on the way out, we did not have an opening at that point. City will have already been planning with him.
 
prarek said:
Chelsea have less options since they aren't going to rehire Mourinho unless they want to look stupid. So i think Abramovich will go harder for Pep now that Ancelotti is also tied up. Simeone isn't going to leave Atletico anytime soon and there has been no evidence that he speaks english.
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Simeone has been reluctant to give a definitive answer when asked about it.
 
Americano said:
He'll be at City. My reasoning: Pep has known he would not continue at Bayern for some time. Even though it was announced just now, he knew his decision weeks ago. Any reasonable person would have already planned a next move before leaving his current job, and one month ago Van Gaal was not on the way out, we did not have an opening at that point. City will have already been planning with him.
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to go further, he's probably already made a deal with his next club (most likely city). otherwise it wouldn't make sense for bayern to announce their manager already.

best go for mourinho now to at least try to salvage the season, then lead us for the next couple years at least, rather than letting the rot continue.
 
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Gol123 said:
Simeone has been reluctant to give a definitive answer when asked about it.
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That doesn't mean anything though. I will be shocked if he does. Maybe in future. His interviews show how much he loves Atletico and he has a project that he has invested heavily in. I can see him eventually tiring and seeking a new challenge in a few years time. His most recent interview-

“Why can’t I be here longer?” Simeone said in El Pais on Monday when asked about leaving Atletico. “Why did I choose a five-year contract? Because I see a club that is ‘virgin’ and Miguel Ángel [Gil Marín, the chief executive] and Enrique [Cerezo, the president] have the ability to open up new sources to strengthen in. It’s not easy to leave Atlético.”

Simeone added: “More than a team we are a family, and we are a real family. Obviously we have internal problems, there are players who get angry and who will get angry because they don’t play. I am the father and the grandfather is a role for Miguel Ángel Gil and Enrique Cerezo.

“We have a potential that no one has. Oblak, Giménez, Vietto, Carrasco, Óliver, Koke, Correa, Saúl, Lucas, Thomas … 10 young players and the veterans are at the perfect age.”
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cyberman said:
Manchester United is a football club, not a political party so all these deeper issues are in some way overblown nonsense by a sport that is magnified 100x by a ridiculous global audience.
We have the largest following in the world and about to post the highest revenue ever recorded by a sports team. What else is wrong at our club that goes beyond signing the proper players in the most needed positions with a competent manager thrown into the mix?
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Pretty much it really.

I think people over emphasize the manager role and the need for WC players. United or any other big team will benefit from a competent manager, could be Pep, Ancellotti, Macini, Simeone, Klopp, LVG, Jose and so on, there isn't that much difference between them. Different styles and so on but with a good squad they will all be successful.

If you have the best players without a winning mentality they will not perform regardless of the manager. One of the main reasons the Italian clubs in the 80s changed their teams a lot after a successful season.

So a competent manager with players with the right profile will be successful. Fergie knew that from day 1, hence united not necessarily going for the creme De LA creme. Mentality of the player was key to their acquisition.
 
It seems extremely likely that he will be managing City.

They have a very good squad. He will come in in summer and, with their oil money, take the squad to a level with the top 3 in europe, in my opinion.

This summer'school transfer market is going to be ferocious. United are desperate, Chelski and Arsenal
Will have money to splash, City will blow a ton. Barca can spend again. Real are overdue a bumper spend.

Going to be tough for United to get the players we need. Very tough.
 
Libano said:
Why go to a club with $hithouse fans and no culture to speak of? The only reason I see for taking that job is money, but he'd earn plenty of that anywhere he chooses to go.

These are the clubs I'd rank above City in terms of attractiveness:

Arsenal - Tradition and the right player material and football culture for Pep's style
PSG - Paris is a nice place to be, good squad with a lot left to prove
United - Most prestigious club on offer
Real - Grab the popcorn and get comfortable, the $hitstorm this would unleash would be wildly entertaining. Scary prospect, though. I know, never gonna happen.
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Another way to look at it:

Arsenal - already well established as a global giant, already produced the invincibles under their current manager which will likely never be topped (though I actually think Pep would be a great fit here).
PSG - ply their trade in a poor league with the only real competition to them currently provided in 8-10 games in the CL each season.
United - already established as a global giant and have won every trophy there is to win in recent times. Will never be able to top the achievements of Ferguson.
Real - Barca legend. Though id also like to see how this would work out in another life.

I'm not stating any of these as fact by the way, but you can see how a slightly different angle shines light where you're forcing yourself not to look.

City - yet to be fully established as a global power house, playing in an extremely competitive league with the resources and infrastructure in place to kick on to the next level as a club, a club run by people he holds close relationships with already, people who work on a similar philosophy, and will back him in the market. The fact you've mentioned PSG above City because 'Paris is a nice place to live' says a lot.
 
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