Barcelona: Rumours swirl around the Spanish media that Barcelona manager Guardiola, distraught after their Champions League exit and La Liga woes vs Real Madrid, will declare today that he is leaving Barcelona at the end of a unsuccessful season.
Barcelona / NationalTurk – What goes up must come down..
Barcelona’s vastly successful 41-year-old coach whose contract expires at the end of June 2012 had a three-hour meeting with Barca president Sandro Rosell to discuss his future at Barcelona.
Barca did not confirm that any Guardiola news conference an insider at Barcelona told NationalTurk that Pep Guardiola had informed Rosell of his decision to leave his managing seat at Barcelona, a club that was destined to become the most successful dynasty in European football history
The Barcelona source added that while he could change his mind at the last moment after talking to his family, it looked unlikely he would extend his four years in charge at Barcelona helm.
Barcelona Pep Guardiola : An Era comes to an end ?
Barcelona chairman Rosell is desperate to persuade Pep Guardiola to stay on and the longer he has delayed his decision, the more speculation has grown he might be lured to another club, with reports linking him to the Chelsea and Inter Milan seats, among others.
Other reports suggested he was in line to become the next England manager or that he was planning to take a sabbatical which seems the most likely scenerio after a season of failure where his ability as a coach came under discussion. Many pundits claim that Guordiola is a bad manager and it was the Barcelona machine that rolled brought trophies not Pep Guardiola’s tactics.
The odds on Guardiola taking over from Fabio Capello at the helm of the England team narrowed sharply on Thursday. One British betting house quoted him as 22/1 earlier on Thursday and those odds fell to 14/1.
The former Barca and Spain midfielder has preferred to renew his contract with Barcelona on an annual basis and waited until February 8 last year before agreeing to a new deal.
He went on to capture a third straight La Liga title and a second Champions League crown, as well as the Spanish and European Super Cups and the Club World Cup, and has led Barca to 13 trophies since taking over in 2008.
Barcelona ‘s hopes for a trophy in 2012 lies on Copa del Rey
However, his team were knocked out of the semi-finals of the Champions League by Chelsea on Tuesday and their three-year stranglehold on the La Liga title is poised to come to an end as bitter rivals Real Madrid have a seven-point advantage at the top of the standings with four games left.
Barca’s one remaining chance of silverware this season is in the King’s Cup Copa del Rey and they play Athletic Bilbao in next month’s final in Madrid.
Barcelona president Rosell is reportedly ready to give manager Pep Guardiola whatever he needs to remain in charge for at least one more year, with the condition being a decision must be made quickly. Sandro Rosell is reportedly ready to offer Guardiola the contract of Guardiola’s liking a so-called blank check and full control over player transfers, but the 41-year-old manager must make his decision before Sunday’s La Liga game at Rayo Vallecano.
Pep Guardiola stated after Barcelona’s crushing Champions League exit vs Chelsea that a decision would be taken this week.
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