Guardiola Not Extending Stay At Bayern – Ancelotti Named New Coach

Pep Guardiola has freed himself up for a move to the Premier League next season with the confirmation from Bayern Munich that he has refused to sign a new contract and Carlo Ancelotti will succeed him as the club’s head coach.

Chelsea’s recent sacking of Jose Mourinho has them also in the hunt for Guardiola but it is believed that one of the Manchester sides is his preferred destination.

“We’re grateful to Guardiola for everything he has given to our club since 2013”, read a statement from Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. “I am convinced that Pep and our team will now work more intensively for reaching our major goals, especially because now it is clear that Pep will leave Bayern”, Rummenigge told the club’s official homepage.

The Spaniard will see out the remainder of his three-year contract with Bayern over the next six months, before being replaced by Carlo Ancelotti in the manager’s hot-seat next summer.

“It’s an honour for me to be a part of this great club next season”, he added.

Ancelotti has had an incredible career in football both as a player and a manager, but in the dugout he has won league titles in three different countries, as well as picking up the Champions League the same amount of times. “He suits us, as simple as that, half of Europe was after him”.

Second-placed Borussia Dortmund are now eight points behind Bayern after crashing to a 2-1 defeat at Cologne as the hosts scored twice in the final 10 minutes.

The smooth succession plan emulates the handover from Jupp Heynckes to Guardiola at the end of the 2012-13 season which saw a treble completed by winning a fifth European title.

He has an impressive resume that includes three UEFA Champions League titles, three UEFA Super Cups, and two FIFA Club World Cups.

One blot on Guardiola’s copybook has been his failure to win the Champions League with Bayern losing in the semi-finals on their previous two attempts.

“The rumours are that, with the ex-Barcelona guys at Manchester City, that he will be coming in at the end of the season, but they are only rumours at the moment”.

It would be a huge coup for City but Guardiola will stay in charge until the end of the season with Bayern running away with the Bundesliga and still in the Champions League. Maybe there are a lot of rumours – not only this season but going back to the other seasons – but the only pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself to win.