If Guardiola wants an Arsenal move, surely it is the wrong time, Chelsea on the other hand…?
According to reports from Spain, Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola is to turn down the chance to renew his rolling contract and quit the club.
If you ask us, it is the wrong decision to make at this time.
After their 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in El Clasico at the Nou Camp last weekend, it seems a sure thing that Madrid will win their first league title since 2008.
In the three intervening years Barcelona have triumphed, looking unstoppable, but not so much this year.
With the defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League, their style of football has been questioned, in so much that it lacks a plan B.
So with that in mind, why leave now? Thing are just getting interesting…
Guardiola should he stay, has the challenge of re-modelling his Barcelona side to ascend to the top again.
He may feel like he has nothing left to prove- with 13 trophies to his name already, but as Sir Alex Ferguson has always indicated at Manchester United, there is always a fresh challenge around the corner, and there is one staring straight at him right now.
Of course Guardiola, 41, may feel like he needs a break. He jumped more or less straight into managing Barcelona after finishing playing, and may want to recharge his batteries after the intensity of another season.
But after relinquishing their top two trophy targets, surely Guardiola would prefer to bow out on the top?
Why not wait another season, and should he win La Liga or the Champions League, quit then, on a high note. Perhaps after winning the Wembley final against United last season would have been a better time to step down?
Barcelona do still have the Copa Del Rey final to play on May 25 against Athletic Bilbao, managed by Marcelo Bielsa- who has been tipped to replace him. A victory here would still allow him to bow out on a high note, but a less prestigious one.
Should he leave now, what are his options? It is hard to believe Guardiola is a man motivated by financial success, but Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is reported to be preparing a mega-money offer to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
Is a job at Chelsea, one of the most unstable in world football, appealing to him? There is certainly a challenge there, but more of a challenge would be Arsenal.
Arsenal, without a trophy in six years, would dearly love Guardiola to take charge. The challenge of returning the Gunners to their former glory would be a tough one but enticing one too for the Spaniard. The problem is, they are getting back on track under Arsene Wenger.
Last season the Gunners started off well, and got worse, continuing their downwards spiral into the beginning of this season. Even after their 4-0 loss to Milan, fans were growing increasingly restless.
Since then the club have turned around their fortunes, winning nine of 12 league games, toppling North London rivals Spurs, and have got the feelgood factor back at the Emirates.
Plans are already being made for next season, with transfer targets already being lined up, Lukas Podolski a done deal and Yann M’Vila negotiations ongoing.
There is a real sense at Arsenal all of a sudden that the club are finally building towards something, with players like Thomas Vermaelen speaking positively about a title challenge next season.
To get rid of Wenger now would surely be madness, even with Guardiola potentially on the market. Arsenal should give Wenger another year to put his plan into action rather than cancelling it halfway through.
Of course there is still the possibility of a late season collapse and drop to fourth spot, now a risky position with Chelsea’s success, which could entirely change the perspective at the Emirates.
This time next season too, Arsenal may well have failed once again, and supporters really will be fed up with another false dawn. Then would be the time to tell Wenger he has run out of
chances. If that happens they will have to hope there is a suitable replacement out there.
From an Arsenal point of view Pep Guardiola could be becoming available at the wrong time. For Guardiola too it may be the wrong time to leave Barcelona, with a fresh challenge on the table.
If a move to Chelsea, or Inter Milan is what he wants, then he should go for it, a lot of people will be happy, but either way, it is looking unlikely Guardiola will be managing Van Persie next season.
If there was a chance Guardiola would come to Arsenal, should the board push Wenger aside? Or is it simply bad timing?
image: © tpower1978
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