Pep's the man for Roman

Roman Abramovich has made it clear Pep Guardiola is the next manager he wants at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s owner has become infamous for his ‘hire them and fire them’ philosophy with the magers employed during his ownership, only Jose Mourinho has been around long enough to make some history with the club and leave a lasting impression in the trophy cabinet.

Recent years have seen extremely short reigns at the head of the side with Abramovich quickly running out of patience with Luiz Felipe Scolari, Andre Villas-Boas and Roberto Di Matteo, terminating their time in charge after less than a year.

However, while Rafael Benitez is in temporary charge of Chelsea as interim manager the owner is making moves to bring former Barcelona boss Guardiola to London when his self-imposed sabbatical comes to an end.

Guardiola is currently residing in New York, following a hugely successful time in charge of Barcelona that broke records while playing the ‘tiki-taka’ style that has left many sides chasing shadows for 90 minutes.

Despite Pep’s obvious availability it is still uncertain whose home dugout the Spaniard will be occupying next time he takes charge of a side. Manchester City, Manchester United and Bayern Munich are reportedly targeting Guardiola when he is ready to return, posing a threat to Abramovich’s hopes of capturing the former Barcelona midfielder.

Guardiola has instructed his advisors to not open talks with any clubs until January, although Chelsea’s hierarchy are attempting to coin a deal already, could Abramovich’s impatience scare Pep away?

Sam Jewell

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