Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini is confident his players will not be affected by rumours linking outgoing Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola with his job.
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Speculation that Guardiola could be headed for City has intensified since he announced over the weekend that he would be leaving Munich in the summer and on Wednesday, German magazine Kicker insisted the Catalan will take over at the Etihad next summer.
The report claimed Guardiola has been persuaded to the club by his “good friends” Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain who were with him at Barcelona. Pellegrini, who is used to such stories, has previously said they do not concern him and he is also sure his squad will not be unsettled by the uncertainty.
The Chilean, whose contract at the Etihad Stadium expires in 2017, said: “I don’t think players (only) work for the manager – they work for the group, themselves, because they want to win.
Pellegrini : At the right moment, I will know what happens with my future. But I’m not thinking about it now. pic.twitter.com/TGuIdqqtzs
— Fraser Dainton (@SkySportsFraser) December 23, 2015
“You have a good connection and that is the most important thing to be a good manager, but I don’t think that a professional player will have any problems if he is listening or reading about things that may happen next year.
“If they do they are not professional players, they are not top players. So I am absolutely sure nobody in the squad has any problems or doubts about what we’re doing and after that we’ll see what happens in the future.”
But Pellegrini, who took over at City in 2013 and won the Premier League in his first season, is well aware of how quickly his situation could change.
He said: “I don’t know the word pressure or afraid. In this line of work you will never know the future, if you win or lose. It’s never your decision so you never know.
“Look at Chelsea, three months ago nobody could have known this would happen. So you don’t think about that. You must work, try to work well, win titles and win games.
“I will know exactly what will happen in the future with myself at the right moment, but at this minute I’m not thinking about talking about my future. I’m thinking about winning the games, trying to finish this season and the four competitions we’re involved in and to win titles.”
City slipped up on Monday as they were beaten 2-1 at title rivals Arsenal. They now go into Christmas six points behind leaders Leicester and four adrift of the second-placed Gunners.
And Arsene Wenger has criticised Guardiola’s decision to reveal his Bayern exit prematurely. Wenger said: “Personally I don’t like the fact that the managers come out so early for what they will do, because it’s not necessarily good for their own team, nor for the speculation about the managers who are going through a little bit of a difficult patch. But after, of course.
“I think he is of course a top-quality manager, nobody would dispute that. Not so much for what he has won already, because Bayern won before, Barcelona still wins today. But I think about the positive attitude he has towards the game.”
