PEP GUARDIOLA will finally bring down the curtain on his glorious and imperious Manchester City career this weekend and a former disciple has been earmarked as the favourite to replace him.
Ex-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is the early favourite and can be found as short as 1/3 in the early markets.
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Pep Guardiola will conclude a decade of dominance this weekend Credit: Alamy
Maresca was a part of Guardiola’s coaching staff at Manchester City Credit: Getty
Reports circulated that Maresca was seen as Guardiola’s heir even when he was still at Stamford Bridge, but now of course, he is a free agent.
A former Guardiola player in Vincent Kompany is next in line at 5/1 and he has done a stellar job at Bayern Munich this season, reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League and winning the Bundesliga.
The first man from outside the Guardiola orbit to have his name in the running is Crystal Palace boss Olivier Glasner.
The Frenchman will be departing Selhurst Park this summer and will have plenty of suitors following a remarkable two years in south London.
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Current Tottenham saviour Roberto De Zerbi is next on the list with Guardiola’s current assistant manager, Pep Ljinders, following closely.
If Man City were to keep the Barcelona lineage alive, Luis Enrique is next on the list at around 16/1.
The PSG boss has the chance to win two Champions League titles in a row when his side clash with Arsenal in the final at the end of the month, but could City make him a tempting offer?
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At the same price you could get the departing Bournemouth manager, Andoni Iraola.
The Spaniard, like Glasner, has done a sensational job given the club’s stature when he arrived on the south coast.
City may want a ready-made, big time manager with a record for competing for the game’s biggest prizes. That could be the only thing holding Glasner and Iraola back.
At 20/1, the heavyweight Zinedine Zidane enters the fray.
The Frenchman hasn’t had a job since he won three Champions League trophies IN A ROW with Real Madrid.
But it has long been suspected he is waiting to take over the French national team and with the long-serving Didier Deschamps confirmed to be leaving after the World Cup this summer, Zidane’s next move is all but certain.
Guardiola will leave the Etihad Stadium with a quite unbelievable list of achievements.
Whoever tries to fill his considerable boots will have to go some way to matching his 20 major trophies, including a fabled treble.
Bookies favourites to become next Manchester City boss
Enzo Maresca – 1/3
Vincent Kompany – 5/1
Olivier Glasner – 12/1
Roberto De Zerbi – 14/1
Pep Lijnders – 16/1
Luis Enrique – 16/1
Andoni Iraola – 16/1
Michel – 20/1
Zinedine Zidane – 20/1
Unai Emery – 20/1
