Today we continue our look at what the short term future holds for the top six managers.
Yesterday we concluded that Jürgen Klopp will stay at Liverpool beyond this season, Antonio Conte will leave at the end of this season and Stubborn Old Man will, (probably), stubbornly carry on in his role as captain of the Titanic which is how he is viewed by many football followers, not just those of his own club.
The difference being that, if he were to abandon ship, then it probably wouldn’t sink and may even rise, submarine-like, with a new man in charge.
So to the other three and we start with:
Pep Guardiola
The mystery man in so much as he is very coy about his future plans and gives little away. His only comments on the matter to date have been, “let’s see what will happen at the end of the season”.
This suggests that, if City win nothing which is entirely unlikely, he would walk away from the job and consider himself to have failed in the Premier League. This is not something we can see happening.
Firstly, a collapse of seismic proportions would be required for City not to win the title so would that be enough for Pep to remain? Probably. They could also win another one, two or three trophies in which case why would he want to be anywhere else?
On the flip side, he walked away from Bayern Münich having failed, (in the eyes of many), because he didn’t win the Champion’s League. He showed no ambition to stay and try and win that trophy with the German side and left for City after two years in Bavaria.
So, on that basis, it wouldn’t be completely out of character if he chose to leave. It would, however, be a major shock.
We think Pep is at City for the long-term, whatever that is.
José Mourinho
Another one of those managers who is constantly linked with other jobs whilst gainfully employed. Both he and Antonio Conte of Chelsea are being tipped to take over at PSG in the near-ish future, (strange how Guardiola is never linked with that job!).
Mourinho, true to his nature, let everybody wonder for a few days and even talked up the idea of living in Paris and managing PSG, before ruling it out after obviously receiving assertions from the United board that they would do all they could to support him in the transfer market and in his quest to win the title, (next season).
He now appears as settled as he has ever been at a club and is enjoying his little spat with Conte, even though he only has “contempt” for him. A cynical José is usually a happy José, so he will certainly be in charge at Old Trafford next year.
Mauricio Pochettino
Unless Real Madrid sack Zinedine Zidane soon Pochettino is very unlikely to leave Tottenham.
Even if that job were to become available, (as it does on a reasonably regular basis), there is no guarantee that Pochettino would either be offered it, or that he would take it.
According to The Guardian he is happy to stay at Tottenham and wouldn’t leave for ANY other job.
The caveat here which is worth pointing out is that, at the moment, he hasn’t actually been offered any other job!
According to The Express he is on a two-man shortlist to replace Zidane sooner rather than later.
The good news for Spurs fans is that he is second choice after Germany’s Joachim Löw and the even better news is that Löw is open to the prospect of managing Real and is even now plotting how to spend the fortune he expects to be given in the next transfer window!
So Spurs fans can expect to see Pochettino at their new stadium next year, with his new excuse for losing the first three home games being that they had just got used to playing at Wembley when they had to move house again!
That concludes our look at where the top six managers will be this time next year with only Antonio Conte expected to quit his club and, indeed, the Premier League and return to Italy.
The other five will continue to delight, annoy, excite, frustrate, inspire and anger in equal measure, their clubs’ fans for the foreseeable future which, in general, is good news for the Premier League.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 