Michael Ball believes Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers would be the ideal successor for Pep Guardiola if he opts not to renew his contract in 2023.
In late August, Guardiola took the football world by surprise when he admitted that he could refuse offers to sign a new contract with Manchester City, potentially favouring a move to a national team.
Since struggling in his first season as City boss, Guardiola has lifted the Premier League three times in four years and has won the League Cup four times, a glaring example of the consistency of his side.
There is still one trophy that has eluded the brilliant coach in Manchester, and he will hope his side can go one better than last campaign to earn his first Champions League winners medal in a decade.
Meanwhile, Rodgers has bounced back from a tough final season as Liverpool manager to establish himself as one of the Premier League's most respected managers. He inherited a Leicester side going through an indifferent spell under Claude Puel and has turned them into perennial European contenders.
Impressively, Rodgers has dealt with the loss of several big names to continue the progression of the Foxes, developing a scouting system that is the envy of the division. In recent windows, they have recruited the likes of Ricardo Pereira and progressed academy talents such as Harvey Barnes into players that are now regular fixtures in his side.
Ball thinks that Rodgers would be the perfect replacement for Guardiola, although he expects City to have the pick of Europe's best coaches.
“I can understand Brendan Rodgers, with what he’s done throughout his career. He’s always a manager who’s got his principles, and his style of play probably suits Man City," he said.
“Doing the work I do and speaking to many scouts and technical directors around the world, Manchester City seem to be the only club I know who have scouts monitoring managers and coaches on the sidelines at every age level.”
Though Rodgers might be a suitable alternative if Guardiola were to depart, City fans will undoubtedly hope that their brilliant manager extends his term in Manchester as he has brought a degree of success otherwise unknown to City supporters.
