Will this challenge make Pep stay longer

[James McJohn]

If Pep were to go in the summer, who realistically would you expect to take over? Not who you want, but who you think they’d hire?

I personally think it’s set in stone Arteta will get the gig on the recommendation of Pep. It makes sense, he’s learned his trade under Pep, gives the club a bit of good PR for a change giving a young manager his first job, pleases the fans I think too, going on a journey which could go either way & I imagine it’ll keep all the players happy as they like him?

Obviously I hope it doesn’t happen for another few years but I don’t think I’ll be as gutted as what I thought I would of been over Pep leaving if Arteta gets the gig.

The risk here is he could be at Arsenal by Christmas

 

[robbieh]

So who replaces Jesus, who replaces Bernardo, who replaces Rodri, who replaces Foden and Mahrez? If you are promoting players into more senior roles, we still need the depth behind them to rotate. We still need 7 players either way.

Last year Sane and Mahrez hardly played due to Bernardo playing wide. Even now with Sane out injured Mahrez isn´t an automatic choice. So it´s debatable if thay need replacing. Also how many top class players can you realistically keep on the bench. We have without doubt the best bench in world football. Far superior to Liverpool´s.

Rodri is Dinho´s replacement and Dinho is VKs at the moment, so we need a replacement at CB obviously.

Jesus has been understudy for Kun for a while now but he is Brazil´s number 9, so we either trust him or bin him. I think we keep him and bring in an older player as the Negredo signing or a young player prepared to bide his time.

As it stands for next year

We have

Ederson ANO
Cancelo Walker
Mendy Zinchenko
Stones Laporte Garcia ANO
Rodri , Dinho
KdB, BS, Foden, Gundogan
Sterling, Mahrez, Kun, Jesus

 

[Keeper!]

The risk here is he could be at Arsenal by Christmas

If the Arsenal rumours are true I would say it's 100% certain he is aware that he is not been considered for the City job.

 

[purplenose]

What Bernado fall out?

The whole thing...the fact that in this country you have to walk on egg shells to avoid a witch hunt.

It may even make attracting players more difficult. Lets be honest if bernado of all people come here and have their reputation tarnished for ever and you have a choice of working in a place with a more common sense approach to life then other than money why come here?

What would you choose?

 

[Big Pussy Bonpensiero]

The risk here is he could be at Arsenal by Christmas

Yeah but I think if Peo is to leave the club & staff will know by Xmas surely? I’d be inclined to think that Pep would tell Arteta first before anyone & tell him he was pushing for him to get the job?

i can see Pep leaving in the summer & taking a year out until Sarri’s contract is up & then heading to Juve.
Would love to be wrong though.

 

[robbieh]

Opponents of independence won majority in Catalonia too.

They did but whether that moderates things politically will depend on the how the new Spanish govenment plays the whole thing. ie Political prisoners.

The biggest two parties there are still the two secessionists parties.

 

[James McJohn]

Yeah but I think if Peo is to leave the club & staff will know by Xmas surely? I’d be inclined to think that Pep would tell Arteta first before anyone & tell him he was pushing for him to get the job?

i can see Pep leaving in the summer & taking a year out until Sarri’s contract is up & then heading to Juve.
Would love to be wrong though.

I'd agree, if Arteta is the heir apparent, given he is there already, it would be crazy not to give him a long run in (Doesn't need to be made public), creating that level of Authority needed to take over.

My concern is, having worked under Pep, will he be the same voice as the previous manager. We can see with Poch at the moment, players have checked out and it needs a fresh voice. Arteta might just be to similar if that makes sense

 

[cjn]

His last season, we can't allow ourselves to go into next season if we know he won't sign an extension.

Sadly I'm starting to agree with this perspective. Obviously I love Pep and am forever grateful for the last two seasons in particular but if he isn't going to renew I'm not sure it ever makes sense to go into a season with a manager on the last year of his deal. Tons of knock on effects... more incentive for the manager to prioritize short term results, harms recruitment in the summer before, much more difficult to motivate the players.

 

[Tricky_Trev]

Last year Sane and Mahrez hardly played due to Bernardo playing wide. Even now with Sane out injured Mahrez isn´t an automatic choice. So it´s debatable if thay need replacing. Also how many top class players can you realistically keep on the bench. We have without doubt the best bench in world football. Far superior to Liverpool´s.

Rodri is Dinho´s replacement and Dinho is VKs at the moment, so we need a replacement at CB obviously.

Jesus has been understudy for Kun for a while now but he is Brazil´s number 9, so we either trust him or bin him. I think we keep him and bring in an older player as the Negredo signing or a young player prepared to bide his time.

As it stands for next year

We have

Ederson ANO
Cancelo Walker
Mendy Zinchenko
Stones Laporte Garcia ANO
Rodri , Dinho
KdB, BS, Foden, Gundogan
Sterling, Mahrez, Kun, Jesus

So we have 18 players, with one of them being virtually untested and 2 of them approaching the end of their City careers. We have a 25 man squad, so need at least 7 players over the course of the next 18 months or so, which is what I was saying, and I think was also the “rebuild” as the other poster coined it.

 

[petrusha]

Sadly I'm starting to agree with this perspective. Obviously I love Pep and am forever grateful for the last two seasons in particular but if he isn't going to renew I'm not sure it ever makes sense to go into a season with a manager on the last year of his deal. Tons of knock on effects... more incentive for the manager to prioritize short term results, harms recruitment in the summer before, much more difficult to motivate the players.

I don't think he'd extend his contract before going into next season, and we all know how difficult it is when a manager goes into his last year with everyone knowing he'll be leaving come the summer. Not even someone with Ferguson's force of personality could deal with that - until he changed his mind about retiring, that season when he announced he was off in the summer was a disaster for United.

What I'd do if I were City is offer Pep the chance from the summer of 2020 to revert to a rolling one-year contract. That way, whenever he decides that he's coming to the end of his time here, he can tell the club well in advance with us being able to make succession plans in the background while he gets on with his job.