The 52-year-old Spaniard has had a trophy-laden tenure at the Etihad, winning five league championships and a Champions League. He was appointed City manager prior to the 2016–17 season.
To emulate Guardiola, who has revolutionized English football, will be a nearly impossible assignment.
But according to the man himself, if he does decide to quit, Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi is well-suited to take over at the Citizens.
In fact, the former Barca manager made his intentions known as he went down the Amex Stadium tunnel in May, following the Seagulls’ 1-1 tie with City.
The Telegraph said that Guardiola contacted three Brighton players while they were celebrating being the first team in their history to play in Europe.
He pointed in the direction of De Zerbi and stated, “That’s the next Man City manager.”
It goes without saying that Guardiola has already lauded his Premier League counterpart. Pep called De Zerbi “one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years” prior to their matchup on May 24.
In his pre-game press conference, Guardiola was asked if he was pleased with the Brighton manager. Guardiola responded with a legendary compliment.
Listen carefully because he remarked, “I’m convinced that [Roberto De Zerbi] is one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years.” “There is no team that plays the way they play, it’s unique.”
“Congratulations to Brighton for this amazing achievement of getting into Europe,” said Guardiola. When he first arrived, I had the impression that I knew he would have a significant impact on the Premier League, but I couldn’t have anticipated that he would do it so quickly.
They generate 20 to 25 opportunities every game on average. They control the ball in a way that’s never been seen before. Everyone participates; the goalkeeper is comparable to a holding midfielder.
Guardiola stated, “Brighton is a master of distributing the ball to a man who is free, but also understanding when to pass the ball. We can learn a lot from Roberto De Zerbi’s style of play.
“They have a good sense of when to move. They can pass to the man free because of their proper tempo. How active they are with the ball is a continuation of Graham Potter’s installation, in my opinion, since I think it was extremely good.