After losing to Crystal Palace on Monday night and crashing out of the Premier League title race, Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini has come under massive pressure.
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With this in mind, here are five possible replacements for the Chilean, should he leave the Citizens…
5) Jurgen Klopp, Borussia Dortmund
With Bayern Munich taking his best players every season, the 47-year-old seems to have achieved all he can at the Westfalenstadion. Were the Sky Blues to offer him the chance to keep his stars and sign further ones he may well be tempted to leave the club. However, with Marco Reus recently signing a new deal at BVB there is a chance that the tide has turned in the Bundesliga.
4) Carlo Ancelotti, Real Madrid
There is a genuine chance that Los Blancos could end the season without any titles. Barcelona have taken a four point lead in La Liga, they have been knocked out of the Copa del Rey, and face Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. They haven’t beaten their local rivals in the six encounters they’ve had since beating them in the final of the competition last season. Were they to end with nothing, manager Ancelotti could well leave the club, meaning City could snap him up. He would be a great acquisition for the Etihad outfit.
3) Rafa Benitez, Napoli
The former Liverpool and Chelsea boss wants to return to the Premier League, according to the Daily Star. With a track record of winning trophies in Europe, he could be the perfect man to guide the Citizens to that Champions League title they so crave.
2) Patrick Vieira, head of elite development squad at Manchester City
Although it would be surprising if the Arsenal legend was to take the reins as his first job in management, it isn’t totally out of the question. He has been doing a stellar job working with the youth teams at the Etihad, and this has surely not gone unnoticed by the club hierarchy.
1) Pep Guardiola, Bayern Munich
The former Barcelona boss currently seems very happy in Munich. However, with no real domestic competition and the ability to buy out any that emerges the Catalan may want to move on to a different challenge. Were he to win the Champions League with the Bundesliga giants then he maybe he could be open to taking over at Manchester City.