Pep Guardiola sends surprise signal to Italy

An unexpected but hugely ambitious name has come to the forefront of Italy's search for a new head coach. According to Ben Jacobs, Pep Guardiola has held talks about taking over as Italy head coach. Italian Football Federation (FIGC) president Giovanni Malago told Cronache di Spogliatoio that finances won't be an issue if Guardiola agrees to join: "There are certain financial aspects to be considered, and it's an understatement to say we'd have to grit our teeth for this. Some exceptions have been made, for example exceptions that regard the name making such waves at the moment: Pep Guardiola. I don't need to sit here and explain the obvious reasons why he'd be an exception, but that is also no guarantee that this will go through."

Developments have moved quickly over the past 48 hours. In an earlier report, Italy's new technical director Paolo Maldini was said to have identified Andrea Pirlo as his ideal candidate; now, however, it has emerged that Maldini and his advisor Leonardo travelled to Barcelona in person for direct talks with Guardiola — a clear sign of how seriously the federation is taking the name, despite salary demands previously considered prohibitive.

Malago also brought clarity to the breadth of the shortlist. When asked whether Guardiola, Pirlo and Roberto Mancini were the only names under consideration, he said "Absolutely not," stating that they were thinking about a certain profile and that these names certainly fell within that category. Asked about Antonio Conte's claim that he had not been approached for the Italy job, Malago said this was not a sign of disrespect towards others, noting that discussions had already taken place with other candidates and that the federation might opt for someone from "a more recent school of thought."

The background to the search and Guardiola's profile are also notable. The federation continues its search for a successor to Gennaro Gattuso, who resigned after Italy's April World Cup play-off loss to Bosnia and Herzegovina saw them miss out on a third consecutive World Cup; it is recalled that the 55-year-old Guardiola, who left Manchester City this summer and is now a free agent, has often expressed his desire to coach a national team at a major tournament during his career.

Source: Ben Jacobs
Image: Al Jazeera