Pep Guardiola has been linked with the England job in the wake of the Three Lions' World Cup exit even though current boss Thomas Tuchel has a contract until the European Championships in 2028
Pep Guardiola celebrates with his final trophy as Man City head coach
Pep Guardiola celebrates at Wembley with his final trophy as Man City head coach(Image: Alex Pantling - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
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It didn't take long after England's exit from the World Cup for Pep Guardiola to be linked with the Three Lions job. Thomas Tuchel is still in charge and has a contract until Euro 2028, although the manner of the semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday has led to questions over whether he is the right man to take the team forward.
Guardiola is certainly appreciated by the FA given they wanted to appoint him in 2024 when he was at Manchester City, and the feeling is mutual. The Catalan is keen to manage a national team in his career, and would be open to that being England.
However, he has only just left City after a decade in charge and said that he did not feel he would have the energy to keep going. Guardiola has also challenged himself to take a break from coaching, with many of his close friends doubting that he will be able to stay away even for months.
While he has decided to step away, Guardiola has also accepted a job within the City Football Group. Named as a global ambassador for CFG, Guardiola will be able to give technical advice to clubs such as Palermo, Lommel, and Troyes and will be "working on specific projects and collaborations" with the group.
"As we celebrate the past, we are also very happy to know that Pep will stay with the group and we will be able to use his knowledge and experience in so many of our other clubs to help managers and players," said City CEO Ferran Soriano. "We will forever be grateful to Pep and cherish so many unforgettable memories. He is a City legend... forever.”
That job prevents Guardiola from taking any other coaching position given he will be involved with several clubs across many leagues with CFG. Even if City's owners are very unlikely to stand in his way should a coaching opportunity arise that Guardiola wants to go for, it is one of many hurdles preventing him from even being in the running for the England vacancy should it arise.