Should Pep Guardiola Consider Paris Saint-Germain over the Premier League?
Paris Saint-Germain have lost one match all season.
Playing in four competitions—with 27 fixtures between them—their only defeat arrived at Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League group stage.
France's top club has collected 51 points from 19 games, averaging 2.7 points per game. Manager Laurent Blanc, on such evidence, should be liberated from any rumour concerning his position, but it seems not even near-perfection can arrest speculation about PSG's managerial future.
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Mirror Sport's Darren Lewis reported the Parisian superclub, in competition with the Premier League's Manchester City and Chelsea, "have joined the chase for Pep Guardiola."
Bayern Munich's current manager has confirmed his intention to leave the Bavarian club at this season's conclusion. Carlo Ancelotti has already been hired by the three-time defending German champions as Guardiola's successor—leaving the 44-year-old Spaniard in search of new employment.
The favourites for his services, as told by Cadena Cope (h/t the Guardian) are Manchester City, but with nothing yet finalised—and the Daily Mail's Ben Grounds suggesting another "two or three months" before a decision is made—time for every wealthy club in Europe to persuade Guardiola about their greener grass exists.
Not yet explaining his reasoning for leaving Bayern, one can only surmise Guardiola has become disenchanted with the Bundesliga. While a captivating league, full of bright, technical stars, there is no dispute in terms of the best club.
Munich are head and shoulders above the rest, meaning their manager's only real measure of success is winning the Champions League. It is certainly in the realm of possibility that Guardiola realises the Champions League is not dominated just by skill, but the unavoidable element of fortune.
If one's long-term job security cannot be anchored in domestic performances, then leaving that situation cannot be harshly critiqued. Therefore, if Paris Saint-Germain is Guardiola's club du jour—it seems a counterintuitive swap for the in-demand manager.
Monaco, Ligue 1's second-placed team, are closer to relegation than winning the title. PSG are in such control over France, it seems wayward to leave one arena of domination just to repeat a similar process elsewhere.
Never reaching a Champions League final, much less winning the competition, maybe—unlike at Bayern—there is tangible history to be accomplished in Paris, but at what cost?
If Guardiola's ambition is testing himself, leaving Germany for France is a regression; England, whether with Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal, places his managerial prowess in deep, untested waters.
The Premier League is an unpredictable environment, where every club can cause any club harm. That brand of parity does not exist in Spain, Germany or France.
On a weekly basis, a manager's ability to handle the mixture of competition, pressure (from media, supporters, etc.) and dressing room personalities is displayed before the largest audience of any domestic sporting competition.
For an ambitious personality, that cocktail would be idyllic.
Guardiola's reputation in football is already cemented with achievements won at Barcelona and his subsequent German domination. No matter the remainder of his career, the 44-year-old has the clout and resume to demand respect.
The question he must ask now is: "Despite all I have accomplished before, do I really want to challenge myself?"
If his answer is not really: Paris Saint-Germain is an ideal destination.
If his answer is yes: The Premier League awaits him with open arms.
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.
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