PEP GUARDIOLA will have a chance to realize his dream of becoming an international boss when he leaves Manchester City – by Hollande.
Guardiola has made no secret of his desire to lead the national team one day when he calls time for his career as a domestic manager.
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And the Dutch FA is already planning to entice them to do the same with them – even if they know it won’t be for at least 18 months.
Guardiola is signed until the end of City next season, and the club hopes to extend its stay at the Etihad after that.
And for all that he retains the ambition of international management, the Spaniard has also given no indication that he is going to cut off and flee Manchester.
He recently brushed off questions about whether he would be interested in one day heading England if given the opportunity.
And his outspoken support for Catalan independence means he is unlikely to ever take command of his home nation.
Yet Holland – and the chance to manage the country that produced one of its heroes in Johan Cruyff – will certainly appeal.
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Cruyff was Barcelona’s boss when he rose through the youth team ranks, turning the City boss into arguably the best defensive midfielder in the world.
The Dutch legend was at the center of Holland’s total football revolution in the 1970s – an ideology that shaped Guardiola’s own management thinking.
And there is already a family ties to Hollande, as Pep’s brother Pere – who also represents him – has just recently joined the Dutch football agency SEG.
Louis van Gaal is currently in his third spell in charge of Oranje, replacing Frank de Boer after a disastrous Euro.
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But the former Manchester United boss is 70, and wants to step down after the Qatar World Cup.
Guardiola is likely to win a fourth Premier League title in six seasons as City boss, and Etihad bosses expect him to last beyond the end of his current deal.
Yet while they hope he lives to build a dynasty at the club, Holland is equally eager to offer an international carrot as an alternative challenge.
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