Guardiola rules out Barcelona return, renews Man City commitment

Serie A champion Juventus was linked with an approach for Pep Guardiola, but he has reconfirmed his commitment to Manchester City.

Published : Jun 30, 2019 18:32 IST

Former Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has long been linked with a return to Barcelona, where as manager he won the Champions League twice, as well as a trio of LaLiga titles.
Former Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has long been linked with a return to Barcelona, where as manager he won the Champions League twice, as well as a trio of LaLiga titles.
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Former Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has long been linked with a return to Barcelona, where as manager he won the Champions League twice, as well as a trio of LaLiga titles.

Pep Guardiola has reaffirmed his commitment to Premier League champion Manchester City and ruled out a return to Barcelona.

Guardiola led City to an unprecedented domestic treble last term, although it fell short of Champions League glory once more.

The Catalan was then linked with a move to Juventus as a replacement for Massimiliano Allegri, but indicated he was not interested in a switch to Serie A with Maurizio Sarri instead lured from Chelsea.

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Former Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has long been linked with a return to Barcelona, where as manager he won the Champions League twice, as well as a trio of LaLiga titles.

But in an interview with Catalan newspaper Ara, Guardiola indicated he sees his long-term future at the Etihad Stadium, with his City contract running to 2021.

"I have everything here, sincerely, everything I need," Guardiola said of City, which has won the Premier League two years running.

"Work at home [in Spain] is more wearing because the emotions are so intense and the press conferences harder.

"Here, in Manchester, I have [director of football] Txiki [Begiristain], who is the most important person of my career because he trusted me when I was no one.

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"I have [chief executive] Ferran [Soriano] also, who sometimes asks, 'How can it be so cold?'. But, at the same time, he manages with a brutal precision.

"When I win I am good, when I lose I am bad. That is the same everywhere, but in this club we are three or four people deciding in the sporting area, there isn't the noise of 18 board members.

"I extended my contract because we have a young team, I have everything I desire to do my job. I won't go back here [to Barcelona] or Germany.

"Where can I find facilities so good as in such a beautiful league as the Premier League?"

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