Manchester United was “shocked” by the decision made by Pep Guardiola.

Manchester United was “shocked” by the decision made by Pep Guardiola.Manchester United were taken aback when they discovered that Pep

Guardiola would become the manager of Manchester City in December 2015. The Old Trafford hierarchy was confident in their ability to appoint him due to the productive negotiations with the Catalan camp. The revelation is contained in a new book on modern football, States of Play, by this author, which recounts the

“genuine shock” that United experienced at the time. One of the primary themes of 2015 was Guardiola’s future, as it became evident that he would be departing Bayern Munich at the conclusion of the 2015-16 season. He would join Manchester City in 2016, and the club was constructing their project around the possibility of appointing the Catalan. His closest connections from the 2008-12 golden era at Barcelona, including chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain, had already been installed.

Before Guardiola ultimately established a football dynasty in the blue half of Manchester, United had believed that their history and stature would be more significant than anything, particularly in light of the fact that Guardiola had previously discussed these qualities with Sir Alex Ferguson during their friendship.

The Catalan contingent was still in communication with the Old Trafford hierarchy in late 2015, and

they were under the impression that a deal was imminent. Instead, they were taken aback when they learned in December of that year that Guardiola had chosen City. United, on the other hand, focused on his long-standing rival, Jose Mourinho. Ultimately, United believed that their financial offer was significantly lower than City’s. Der Spiegel’s Football Leaks subsequently reported that the manager signed a contract worth £13.5m, which would increase to £16.75m, as early as

October 2015. Additionally, other factors were persuasive, including the fact that City constructed an almost ideal club for Guardiola. Ideal working conditions were provided. Additionally, there was the impression that Guardiola would exclusively attend his former teammate’s club if he were to

relocate to a league where Begiristain was employed. This was as a result of a debt he believed he owed to Begiristain for advocating for Guardiola’s appointment while he was a neophyte at Barcelona in 2008.