Guardiola floated as surprise candidate for Italy job after Manchester City exit
Quick summary
Italian media have suggested Pep Guardiola as a potential future Italy head coach if he leaves Manchester City at the end of the season. The report comes amid expected changes around the national team after Gennaro Gattuso's anticipated departure.
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Attributed to OneFootballAn audacious name has been suggested for the Italy job next summer, because Pep Guardiola is expected to leave Manchester City and has a love for Italian football.
Read Football Italia Ad-Free and get access to Exclusive News – Free Trial – Click Here Gennaro Gattuso is widely expected to leave the role after failing to secure World Cup qualification, after FIGC President Gabriele Gravina and delegation chief Gigi Buffon both tended their resignations today.
The names mentioned as potential candidates are current Milan boss Max Allegri, plus former Azzurri coaches Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte, who are at Al-Sadd and Napoli respectively.
Guardiola dream for the Nazionale Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola reacts during the UEFA Champions League final football match between Inter Milan and Manchester City at the Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul, on June 10, 2023. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP) (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images) An intriguing alternative was put forward by the Gazzetta dello Sport , specifically that of Guardiola, who is likely to walk away from Manchester City at the end of the season.
The Spaniard has been in that job since 2016, before that winning silverware with Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 18: Antonio Conte, Head Coach of Napoli, and Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, embrace prior to the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD1 match between Manchester City and SSC Napoli at City of Manchester Stadium on September 18, 2025 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) It would be an interesting challenge for a coach with a very specific style of football that is in many ways the antithesis of Calcio tradition.
However, that doesn’t mean Guardiola is a stranger to Italy, far from it.
He played for two Serie A clubs, Brescia and Roma, still speaks excellent Italian, and regularly returns to these shores as a tourist.
Guardiola is also full of praise for several Italian coaches, such as Gian Piero Gasperini of Roma and Lazio’s Maurizio Sarri.
The last time Italy had a foreign CT was Helenio Herrera, but that was sharing the role with Giulio Valcareggi for only four games in the 1960s.
If Carlo Ancelotti can leave Real Madrid to take on the Brazil job, why not Guardiola in charge of the Azzurri?
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What happened
A report highlighted Pep Guardiola as an outside option for the Italy national team job next summer, with his expected Manchester City exit fueling the idea. More established candidates mentioned include Max Allegri, Roberto Mancini and Antonio Conte. The speculation follows major upheaval around the Azzurri after failure to secure World Cup qualification and the resignations of senior federation figures. Guardiola's past playing time in Serie A and familiarity with Italian football are presented as reasons the move is at least imaginable.
Chance analysis
This matters mainly as a high-profile managerial rumor touching two major teams: Italy and Manchester City. For football forecasting, it is more relevant as a background stability signal than an immediate performance driver, because no appointment or departure has been confirmed. Any market effect would likely come later through confirmed coaching changes, not from the rumor alone.
Near term impact is limited, but the story adds uncertainty around Italy's coaching direction and Manchester City's future bench plans.
Treat this as low-certainty managerial noise unless Guardiola's Manchester City exit or Italy talks are independently confirmed.