Manchester City have officially confirmed that Pep Guardiola will be leaving the club this summer.
The Catalan has won everything there is to win at Man City, and it’s now time for yet another challenge.
Whether that will be in time for 2026-27 remains to be seen, as Guardiola has taken little breaks between jobs before.
He’s conquered the leagues in England, Germany, and Spain. So the question is, where should Guardiola go next?
Who should Guardiola manage next?
Dream: Spain
Guardiola has won league titles in three different countries now. The Man City boss has arguably won the three highest-quality leagues, so what is there left to achieve? International management.
It’s unclear how Guardiola feels about managing a country that isn’t his own. If he is going to venture into international management, he might want to be in charge of Spain.
Guardiola represented Spain on 47 occasions as a player, and it could be a full circle moment for him to potentially end his career in management with La Roja. There’s no doubt Guardiola enjoys management. But there will come a time when he won’t get the same satisfaction from winning a host of trophies at club level.
There is an argument to suggest that Guardiola is the greatest manager to have ever lived. If he took on an international role and won a major tournament, that could cement the title.
To manage three of the biggest clubs in world football and win a ridiculous amount of trophies before then doing it with Spain would be a dream scenario.
Realistic: England
One argument regularly levelled at Guardiola is that he doesn’t take on a big challenge. He always takes over sides that are one of, if not the most, dominant teams in that league.
In recent tournaments, England have come incredibly close to lifting silverware for the first time since 1966. But no manager has been able to get them over the line. It remains to be seen whether Thomas Tuchel can be that man — If not, it could be the ideal challenge for Guardiola.
The Spanish manager has a close affinity with England, having spent so much of his managerial career there. He has won everything there is to win at club level, but taking on an international side will be the biggest challenge.
Of course, England are still one of the top nations, but there’s no hiding from the fact that they haven’t won a trophy in 60 years. Seeing if Guardiola can fully implement his style at international level would be fascinating. And what better country to do it in than the one you’ve lived in for 10 years now?
The England job is one of the favourites in the betting market in terms of Guardiola’s next role, so it feels like a realistic option.
Wildcard: Brescia
This may seem like a strange shout for those that haven’t heard Guardiola speak about the Italian club. The 55-year-old played for Brescia for a short period during his playing career, and he’s even been seen returning to the club to watch them earlier this year.
Brescia currently reside in Serie C, although recently gained promotion, and have rebranded to Union Brescia as a new club. The original Brescia were disbanded following relegation in 2025.
It would be a fairytale to see Guardiola return to the club and get them back to where they belong after their difficulties over the last few years.
During his time at Barcelona back in 2011, Guardiola visited Brescia, prompting questions around a return to Italy for the Spanish manager. Guardiola suggested that if he were to return to work in Italy, it would be to manage Brescia.
“If I return to work in Italy it will be to train Brescia. And I’ll do it for free.”
Perhaps an unlikely move, and maybe it’s more likely one that comes in the final chapter of his career.
Squawka suggests: Italy, club or country
There have been many suggestions that Guardiola could be one of the managers to take over the Italian national team. The Azzurri have failed to qualify for the last three World Cups, a monumental failure for such a big nation.
Getting Italy back to where they once were could be a great project for Guardiola. Multiple managers have tried and failed over the last few years, and football would be better for it, having Italy as one of the successful nations again.
Heading to Italy for club management could also be a nice next step for Guardiola. As mentioned, he has conquered three different leagues now, and Serie A is one that is missing from his list of accolades.
The Italian league is highly competitive, with different winners every year. There was a spell not so long ago when Juventus won nine in a row, but over the last few years, Inter, AC Milan, and Napoli have all won the title.
Taking over a club side in Italy and adding the Serie A to his trophy cabinet should be Guardiola’s next move if he’s not going to go into international management.