The arrival of ex Barcelona recruitment supremo Txiki Begiristain at Manchester City has sparked rumours that Brazilian Neymar and, the in demand Pep Guardiola, may be next at the club.
The appointment of Txiki Begiristain as Director of Football has caused Manchester City to believe that they have an advantage in the race to sign Neymar. The Brazilian superstar is reported to be top of Mancini’s wish list, having said that the forward is probably number one on the ‘wish lists’ of approximately 2,547 other managers.
At present Barcelona or Real Madrid are favourites to eventually land the 20 year old Brazilian, but the arrival of Begiristain in Manchester will encourage fans that City maybe able to bring the most sought after player in world football to England. As Sporting Director at Barcelona, between 2008 and 2010, Begiristain apparently spent months trying to sign Neymar and believes the dialogue they opened could give him the edge over rivals.
Speaking of Begiristain’s appointment Mancini has said, “I have read that Barcelona are buying Neymar but I don’t know if it is true or not. When Txiki starts to work here this week, we can start to talk about the future. For us, that is very important.”
“Neymar is a Santos player at this moment and I don’t know what will happen to him in the future. But I am very happy to work now with the sporting director because he knows the situation.”
Whoever does manage to win the race to sign the incredibly talented Neymar it is highly unlikely that he will move until after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. It will also be hard to overpower the lure of the Spanish La Liga, a league where the sunshine and language proves very appealing to the majority of South American super stars. Barcelona are also said to have first refusal on Neymar, after paying Santos £6m just for the privilege.
Txiki Begiristain will join ex colleague Ferran Soriano at Manchester City, fuelling speculation that Pep Guardiola will be the next in to complete a Barcelona style backroom. Guardiola is currently serving a self inflicted sabbatical but, is said to be eyeing a move back to the dugout in January. The Spaniards favoured destinations appear to be England or Germany, with Man City and Chelsea being touted as the clubs he’d most likely want to manage.
If Guardiola were to open a pathway to manage in the Premier league then Manchester United and Arsenal may also be interested. Arsenal has been pinpointed as a team that would suit Guardiola’s style and football philosophy, whereas Manchester United need to find a long term successor to Sir Alex Ferguson. Although, given the Scot’s incredible achievements at United, that would be unlikely to happen until Ferguson is ready to step down, rather that the clubs owners forcing him out.
Where do you think Neymar and Guardiola’s futures lie?
image: © jikatu
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
