Pep Guardiola was unveiled as Manchester City’s new manager today.
The Spaniard spoke in front of 5,800 fans at the City Football Academy, where he outlined his plan to make City the number one team in Europe.
City players will have winced when Guardiola, who is taking over from Manuel Pellegrini, promised to “hug and kick their a****.” Clearly, the Catalan is not going to accept anything less than 100 per cent.
City announced back in February that Guardiola will be the new manager but have waited until now to unveil the former Bayern Munich boss.
Still, it hasn't affected the club’s transfer activity. City have signed Ilkay Gundogan and Nolito and plenty more arrivals are expected in the coming weeks.
And one supporter even asked the Guardiola if Lionel Messi will be arriving. His response...
“I’m sorry. Messi has to stay in Barcelona for the rest of his career.”
Ah. Much to the dismay of not just City supporters but fans of the Premier League, too, who would love to see the Argentine play in England.
Guardiola admitted that his role will be to develop a team that can compete at the top for years to come.
“The first target is team spirit and play good,” the 45-year-old said, per the Daily Mail. “I know the players, I've played against them many many times. I know their quality but they have to show me and their fans.
“The past is the past. We are here to try again. My tactic is to develop the players.
“I don't want the players to think what the club can do for them. We want a better club over the next four, five, six years.”