Manchester City's loss could be Liverpool's gain - if they swoop to replace Arne Slot with Pep Guardiola in the summer.
Those are the instructions from former Reds winger Jermaine Pennant, who has urged his old club to pounce after it emerged that the legendary City boss is set to leave the club this summer.
Could we see the ultimate changing of the guard at Anfield this summer?
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Could we see the ultimate changing of the guard at Anfield this summer?Credit: Getty
Guardiola will depart the Etihad Stadium after ten trophy-laden years, during which time he has won six Premier League titles.
On two of these occasions, he has beaten Liverpool to the trophy - in 2019 and 2022 - with a fierce modern-day rivalry forming between the two North West teams.
Unthinkable?
Guardiola's departure will send shockwaves throughout the Premier League, but there could be a scenario this summer that would stun even more across England's top flight.
After ending Man City's run of four successive titles last season with league glory, it has been a different story for Liverpool this term.
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The Reds have mounted a dismal title defence and are set for a disappointing fifth-place finish, heaping pressure on their boss.
Head coach Slot has faced continued calls for his sacking, which now looks closer than ever after star manMohamed Salah appeared to take aim at him in astinging social media post.
With change appearing increasingly likely at Anfield, Pennant has tipped Liverpool to do the unthinkable in the summer.
While a successor already appearing set in stone at City, in the form of ex-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, Pennant has now called on Guardiola to take over from Slot at the Reds, in a move that would shock fans up and down the country.
'Open arms'
Asked if he would welcome Guardiola at Anfield on talkSPORT's Inside Liverpool, Pennant replied: “Of course, who wouldn’t?
"Every team on the planet would like Pep as their manager.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola with the trophy after the Premier League match between Manchester City and West Ham United
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Guardiola has won 20 trophies as Manchester City boss, including six Premier League titles and an historic treble in 2023Credit: Getty
Arne Slot in Liverpool's defeat to Aston Villa
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Slot has struggled to follow up his stunning debut season at LiverpoolCredit: Getty
Though not traditional rivals, Man City and Liverpool have emerged as each other's main adversaries during Guardiola's time in England.
Contests between his all-conquering Citizens and Jurgen Klopp's electric Liverpool teams were often thrilling, and City beat the Reds to the Premier League title by just a point in 2019 and 2022.
The rivalry continued when Slot took over at Anfield last season, as he became the man to deny Guardiola a fifth successive title.
With no love lost between Liverpool and Manchester as cities too, Pennant's willingness to see Guardiola in the Reds' dugout left host Sam Ellard surprised.
Quizzed over whether the 55-year-old's decade at the Etihad would bother him, he insisted: “Couldn't care less.
"If you're going come over here, play attractive football - as you do, win. Yeah, come here mate. Open arms pal, come on!”
Pep Guardiola at Anfield
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Guardiola has graced the Anfield dugout plenty of times as an opponentCredit: Getty
Reds fan and former professional boxer Paul Smith also didn't see Guardiola's past as an issue.
He agreed: “If it was Man United - [if he'd spent] 10 years there, then it’d be an issue, but I don't think at City it’d be an issue.
“They've been our biggest rivals over the last so long, because we've been successful.
“But when we weren’t successful, it wasn’t City that were our rivals.”
Pennant: Guardiola would love to manage Liverpool
Continuing to tease the blockbuster move, Pennant then claimed Guardiola would relish the chance to manage a club as historic as Liverpool.
He continued: “He’d love to [manage Liverpool]. Look at the Kop when you walk out.
Pep Guardiola
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Guardiola's trophy haul during his decade-long reign at City makes him an attractive prospect anywhere
“100%. The atmosphere - he’d love to play in that.”
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And while Pennant insisted this is a move he would love to see, he admitted that Guardiola going from one North West powerhouse to another would be one of the all-time shock appointments.
Asked if this would be the most ridiculous appointment in history, the talkSPORT pundit replied: “Definitely, yeah, I think it’d be up there with some of the big ones.”
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