Italian Football Federation Pursues Pep Guardiola as National Team Coach

Search for a New Coach

The Italian Football Federation is actively seeking to hire Pep Guardiola, the former manager of Manchester City, as the head coach for its national team. This initiative follows the team's disappointing failure to qualify for the World Cup.

The federation intensified its pursuit of Guardiola after Carlo Ancelotti, currently coaching Brazil, declined their offer. Paolo Maldini, the iconic former captain of Italy and now the Technical Director, confirmed this during a recent press conference.

"We did have discussions with Carlo Ancelotti before reaching out to Pep. Our primary aim was to assess the availability of top-tier coaches globally," Maldini stated. At 55 years old, Guardiola is currently taking a break from football after a decade-long tenure with Manchester City. Maldini, along with former player Leonardo, held a three-day meeting with Guardiola in Barcelona.

The Italian Federation proposed a salary of 10 million euros per year to Guardiola. However, he is reportedly seeking the 20 million euros he earned at City. Nevertheless, officials from Italian football have indicated a willingness to negotiate on salary for a coach of his caliber. Meanwhile, Ancelotti has opted to remain with the Brazil national team, bound by a contract that extends until 2030.

This coaching search was triggered by Italy's third consecutive failure to qualify for the World Cup, leading to the resignations of head coach Gennaro Gattuso and the federation's president. Currently, Under-21 coach Silvio Baldini is stepping in as the interim manager for the senior team.

Italy faces a challenging group in the upcoming UEFA Nations League, set to begin in September, where they will compete against France, Belgium, and Turkey. This urgency has prompted the federation to expedite the appointment of a new coach to revitalize the team. Should negotiations with Guardiola not succeed, Italy may also consider Antonio Conte, Roberto Mancini, and Andrea Pirlo for the coaching position.