Manchester City Risk Losing Patrick Vieira in Pursuit of Pep Guardiola

With Manchester City seemingly determined to entice Pep Guardiola to be their next manager when his contract with Bayern Munich expires in the summer of 2016, a rather precarious situation is emerging where the future of Patrick Vieira is concerned.

Guardiola, the former Barcelona manager who won 14 trophies in his four seasons at the Camp Nou before switching to the Bundesliga side, is seen by City as a long-term option who can bring style and success to the club.

That means it’s becoming increasingly certain Manuel Pellegrini will be allowed to see out the final 12 months of his three-year deal, leaving Vieira, whose own rolling contract is set to come to an end in June, probably looking to move on. It would be a huge loss if he did so.

Pellegrini’s position came under scrutiny after an appalling run of form at the turn of the year saw City’s title challenge collapse in spectacular circumstances, yet he is highly regarded by his paymasters and looks likely to remain in charge. His side’s current five-match winning run, although largely unconvincing, has also strengthened his hand, with City now guaranteed to finish second with a game to spare. 

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The Chilean’s achievements last season—a league and cup double and well over a hundred goals—may have been largely overlooked outside of Manchester. However, club sporting director Txiki Begiristain and chief executive Ferran Soriano—whose own reputations are interconnected with Pellegrini’s success since he was their appointment—remain positive about their man.

But in an interview for the Blue Moon Podcast earlier this month, Martin Blackburn, who covers City for the Sun newspaper, spoke about Vieira’s growing desire to become a first-team manager.

Vieira has been in charge of the club’s Elite Development Squad for almost two years and has impressed during that time. He guided his young charges to this season’s UEFA Youth League quarter-final stage and then won the Premier League International Cup.

He has imprinted his philosophy on the majority of young players under his control. The EDS play an attractive style of football, the kind that fits the club’s “holistic” vision demanding every player, at every level of the club, adheres to the same footballing philosophy—a high-tempo, possession-based game with a focus on attack.

The Frenchman is hugely respected across the football world, has excellent contacts in France and parts of Africa and is widely seen as one of the great, untapped young minds in European football. The club have invested heavily in him, and it’s clear why.

As a player, he was part of City’s 2011 FA Cup-winning side—their first piece of major silverware in 35 years—and was a World Cup and European Championship winner with France. He also collected three Premier League titles and four FA Cups with Arsenal, as well as four Serie A titles during spells with Juventus and Inter Milan.

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He’s now close to completing his coaching licence through the FA of Wales and, quite rightly, feels he’s served his time as an academy manager. He wants to taste management at the highest level, and if recent reports are to be believed, he isn’t without serious offers, with Blackburn aware of interest from Marseille. 

It seems the time has come for him to test himself at the highest level. There is, of course, still a possibility he could be asked to take charge, should an end-of-season review of Pellegrini's position end in an early exit for the Chilean, with Vieira well-placed to take over for a year and see how he adapts.

Indeed, Guardiola’s appointment at Barcelona, which was masterminded by Begiristain, began in similar circumstances and yielded glorious results. It was initially seen as a temporary appointment but turned out to be much more, with Guardiola going on to construct one of the best sides in the history of the game. 

However, all the signs are Pellegrini will steer City through the next 12 months at least, with speculation about his dismissal having subsided in light of City's recent form.

Whether it’s a misguided pursuit or whether Guardiola has given some verbal assurances to City’s board about taking over next summer is unknown, but the current situation is likely to mean Vieira looks for a move elsewhere. However, given his standing at the club, if he does leave, he would be welcome back in the future should the job as City manager become vacant at a time more suitable for everyone involved.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.