Is Pep Guardiola set to give the Managerial Merry Go Round a big spin?

The transfer window is set to open in a fortnights time but it’s not just players that will be signed up by prospective clubs it looks like we could be having a dash on our hands to secure the services of Pep Guardiola.

It’s been reported that the 44 year old Spaniard will be announcing his departure from Bayern Munich as he has promised to give ‘clarity’ on his situation next week. It seems that conversations in the background have taken place and it has come to a mutual agreement that it would be the right time for Guardiola to leave Munich so that the players or the manager don’t suffer burn out from the high pressure and intensity that he always demands.

We saw a similar departure when he was manager of Barcelona, it was felt that he could get nothing more out of the players who had run themselves into the ground for Guardiola and he himself had nothing left to give after 4 years at The Nou Camp helm.

Guardiola’s successor is set to be Carlo Ancelotti, currently on a sabbatical after being fired by Florentino Perez at Real Madrid the Italian has already won league titles in Italy, England and France not to mention Champions League titles with both A.C. Milan and Real it would seem to be a perfect fit. The football on the pitch would be different but the end result would no doubt be the same and end up with a glut of trophies at The Allianz Arena.

With Guardiola set to leave and Ancelotti the heir apparent to his Bayern throne, it begs the question where does Pep end up next? The obvious answer is the Premier League but the twist in the tale is what side does he end up coaching next season.

It seems as if there is a three horse race in a bid for his employment. Manchester City have always been mooted as the front runners with their being many reports that he is set to take over at The Etihad from Manuel Pellegrini next season but with the dip in forms from Manchester United and in a much larger fashion Chelsea will The Glazers and Roman Abramovich stick with what they have got or twist and try and lure the mercurial Catalan to their respective clubs.

Jose Mourinho’s employment status seems to be on a knife edge with Chelsea sitting 16^th the only thing probably keeping him in a job right now is the fact he signed a 4 year contract in the summer and any termination of that contract would see a bumper compensation package given to the 52 year old Portuguese Chelsea Boss. Will Abramovich feel that it might be worth paying that price if he can lure Guardiola to Stamford Bridge.

On the other hand Louis Van Gaal’s stock at Old Trafford is probably at it’s lowest since taking over at Old Trafford, he has been given £250m to spend and they are stuttering their way to 4^th place and have crashed out of the group stages of the Champions League in their short lived return to Europe’s premier competition. With only 18 months left on his contract will the United board feel it’s time to cut that short and have him depart at the end of the season to keep the hotseat warm for Guardiola.

Then there’s also a possibility that if Mourinho was to be sacked by Chelsea and Guardiola ends up at City or himself at Stamford Bridge, could we then see The Special One be next in charge at Old Trafford in 18 months time after LVG’s contracts expires. That’s more fantasy than reality but it just goes to show the amount of possible permutations we have in their managerial merry go round. This January is set to be not just a huge month on the pitch but off the pitch as well.