United shockingly hired Man City’s Omar Berrada as their new CEO to turn things around, but Guardiola says it won’t be simple.
Most surprising departure of Manchester City’s January transfer window. Not Kalvin Phillips, loaned to West Ham with Pep Guardiola’s best wishes and praise for his training attitude, with the improbable possibility that he may return to the Etihad Stadium, albeit City will not replace him. Not Phillips, Omar Berrada.
Manchester United’s new CEO chose red over blue, reversing Denis Law and Carlos Tevez. His hiring by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s new Old Trafford government was heralded as a coup. Recent years have seen City excel both on and off the pitch. United might think like their opponents, steal their strategies, and pinch their COO.
“Obviously his knowledge goes to United, that’s the reality,” Guardiola added. We learnt from Omar, but he learned from the club and left for United. His temperament and professionalism are wonderful. I embraced him yesterday and wished him the best because he’s great.”
But the silky words came with a warning. Berrada will improve United, but when his gardening leave expires and he arrives, he may not be able to turn a failing team into a serial winner. “Maybe United thinks this person will change everything—congratulations. Guardiola wondered if this would happen, clicking his fingers. I don’t know if this will solve everything and work. If anything happens, people must stand up for Omar Berrada in the future because he deserves it.”
Perhaps that was a keen observation. United have sometimes looked for a one-stop solution, viewing Jose Mourinho’s CV or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s love of Old Trafford as a panacea, or believing Paul Pogba or Alexis Sanchez could alter the team. They may envy their neighbors and want to duplicate, gazump, and top them. Former City targets Sanchez, Harry Maguire, and Fred have joined them in the past decade. City academy graduate Jadon Sancho. They were not notable accomplishments.
Berrada will explain City’s inner workings. Guardiola said, “When you buy a player from another club you buy the knowledge that this player has had with other managers and teammates.” “That’s normal.” Even though Berrada understands their transfer goals, the team he leaves behind, some of whom he helped recruit, is part of his issue in becoming United Manchester’s dominant power.
Guardiola intimated that Omar Berrada might not be Manchester United’s immediate solution. “Kevin De Bruyne is still in Man City,” Guardiola stated (PA Archive). Here, De Bruyne will play. Erling Haaland will play, so it’s complicated. If United had the power, they would have done it”.
United’s finances may have been harmed by impatience, ineptitude, misfortune, and strategic changes. Guardiola, in his seventh season as manager, and director of football Txiki Begiristain, in his 12th, believe City’s long-term preparation has benefited them.
He claimed successful clubs have the same sporting director or hierarchy for a long period. “Building takes time. Txiki matters a lot. Before I arrived, he was stable in the club.”
Guardiola has always been OK with important players moving rivals, even though Berrada’s move to United is different from selling Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal, overseen by his former assistant Mikel Arteta. If a person is dissatisfied here and wants to go to United and there’s a bargain, why not? No problem, he said. If Omar is unhappy and wants to depart, he must.
City has seen some consistency and some change. “In this club, these situations happen,” Guardiola remarked. “The club will advance. Maybe we can replace him.”
In recent years, City has found high-quality substitutes. Guardiola is on his second team, with just De Bruyne and John Stones from his first. Fit again, each might start at Tottenham in the FA Cup on Friday. The Belgian hasn’t played since August, and Haaland will miss his 10th straight match. City survived without each.
“We are stronger with Kevin and Erling but we can cry and wait five months or we can move forward,” Guardiola said. He doesn’t cry over Berrada’s unexpected decision because of his ideology, even if he likes him.
