6 Potential Landing Spots for Manuel Pellegrini After Manchester City
Manchester City dominated the headlines on transfer deadline day by announcing a piece of news that had nothing directly to do with transfers. By confirming that Pep Guardiola would take over as manager in the summer, the Sky Blues ensured their supremacy in the day's news cycle and overshadowed any transfers that would follow.
But behind all the flashy headlines lay another story, one involving their current manager, Manuel Pellegrini. After finishing the current campaign, his third with the club, the Chilean will be out of a job in the summer.
According to Spanish football expert Guillem Balague, Man City timed the announcement to give Pellegrini maximum visibility.
"Timing of the announcement very much a Pellegrini's decision," Balague tweeted. "He wanted the world (top clubs) to know he's available."
A top club seems like a good fit for Pellegrini, who has guided City to one Premier League title and one League Cup triumph and has put the club on course for a potential quadruple this season. As Graham Ruthven noted at beIN Sports, Pellegrini should be proud of his work at City:
"The Chilean led City to the Premier League title in his first season at the club, and has succeeded in making the Abu Dhabi-owned side an established fixture in the latter stages of the Champions League. There is still progress to be made, but generally speaking, City are on an upward arc with Pellegrini at the helm.
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So where will Pellegrini go next? That's what we're looking at here. Take a look at our list, and then be sure to add your thoughts in the comments.
Chelsea
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The full-time job at Chelsea is open following the departure of Jose Mourinho earlier this season. Guus Hiddink has taken over and seems to have righted the ship, but the Dutchman is only an interim manager and will not stay on past the end of the current season (unless both he and owner Roman Abramovich change their minds abruptly).
In his search for a permanent manager, Abramovich could do a lot worse than Pellegrini. As noted in the previous slide, the Chilean has a good track record in England, having won the title in 2013-14 with another triumph possible this season.
In addition, Pellegrini's time in the country will have given him a familiarity with its clubs, players, traditions and culture. With three years of experience at the top level in England, he has a strong resume that would appeal to an owner with Abramovich's demanding standards.
The oddsmakers seem to be thinking the same way. As noted by Will Giles at Metro, Pellegrini is now the odds-on favorite to become Chelsea's next manager.
The only question left might be whether Pellegrini wants to work with Abramovich's trigger-happy reputation.
Atletico Madrid
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Another name reportedly on Chelsea's shortlist is Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone. The Argentine is a hot commodity in European club football for his exploits with Los Colchoneros, and although he seems content in the Spanish capital, a lucrative offer might tempt him to move on.
If so, Atleti would need a new manager this summer. And if that happens, Pellegrini would surely be on the club's radar.
Before joining Manchester City in 2013, Pellegrini managed in Spain with Villarreal, Real Madrid and Malaga. Although he has never won the league title there, he guided Villarreal to the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 2006, and he reached the quarter-finals of the same competition with Malaga in 2013.
However, all that experience won't mean much to Atletico's fans at the moment. For them, Simeone remains the perfect manager to lead the club. He'll be welcomed there as long as he wants to stay.
Valencia
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All of the experience mentioned in the previous slide applies here as well. Pellegrini has managed at the top level in Spain, and thus he's familiar with the country's footballing culture and institutions.
The difference between Atletico and Valencia comes down to that E-word mentioned above: experience. Pellegrini's background wouldn't mean much to Atletico unless Simeone leaves the club. But with Valencia, he might be welcomed much more warmly.
Simply put, Pellegrini has more experience than the man currently in charge at Valencia. That's not meant as a slight against Gary Neville, a managerial newbie who has experienced a difficult start to his tenure in Spain. But it's not hard to imagine Pellegrini gaining fan support if Valencia continue to struggle under the Englishman.
And according to his agent, Pellegrini could be open to the challenge of Valencia.
"He spent five or six years 40km [from Valencia] when he was at Villarreal," Jesus Martinez told Chilean radio (h/t TalkSport). "He lived in the city, has experienced the atmosphere and loves it."
Paris Saint-Germain
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Paris Saint-Germain are absolutely dominating the French Ligue 1, leading the table by a ridiculous 24 points as of this writing. But while the Parisians haven't faced much of a challenge domestically since their big-money takeover, European success has eluded them to this point.
Laurent Blanc, the current manager, has yet to renew his contract, which expires at the end of the season. If he leaves, Pellegrini's track record in the Champions League (remember Villarreal and Malaga?) could make him an intriguing replacement.
The main drawbacks would be learning a new league and footballing culture, but as noted above, PSG should have enough of a cushion that it's not too much of a problem.
Manchester United
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Surely not, right?
Pellegrini isn't from England, but he must know how much of a taboo it would be to cross over from the blue half of Manchester to the red. That said, Manchester United's history, stadium and financial clout would appeal to any manager, and Pellegrini might be no exception.
But if current manager Louis van Gaal leaves the club any time soon—which, let's face it, feels inevitable—United's chief target is probably going to be Jose Mourinho. Still, Pellegrini would be an interesting choice, though also potentially controversial due to his previous position.
Somewhere Else Entirely?
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Staying in the club game, with a European side, is probably the most likely option for Pellegrini. But what of some other less likely scenarios?
Chile only recently hired Juan Antonio Pizzi to replace Jorge Sampaoli, who guided La Roja to Copa America glory last year on home soil. But what if Chile flop at the Copa America Centenario this summer? Would Pellegrini consider coaching his country at the international level?
Meanwhile, other options abound in the club game. Though European leagues hold the greatest appeal and prestige, plenty of money is floating around elsewhere in the world. That's especially true in the Middle East and China.
With Chinese clubs shelling out huge fees for European-based players recently, could a big-name coach be next?
