Pep Guardiola refused to say whether he was approached over the England job before the Football Association appointed Thomas Tuchel, as he wished the German “the very best” in charge of the national team.
The Independent reported that Guardiola was seen as the top choice for the England job following Gareth Southgate’s resignation and the FA were prepared to wait for the Manchester City boss ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
However, talks between the FA and Tuchel accelerated earlier this month after initial contact was made in August and the German will take charge in January with interim Lee Carsley overseeing next month’s camp.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham revealed at Tuchel’s unveiling that “approximately 10 candidates” were interviewed, including some from England, although Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said he was not contacted.
Guardiola, though, would not distract from Manchester City’s trip to Wolves in the Premier League on Sunday and did not say whether there had been contact from the FA, or confirm if he was in talks over extending his stay at the club.
Guardiola’s contract at City expires at the end of the season and he said he is yet to make a decision over his future.
“Thomas Tuchel is the manager. I congratulate them, the FA and Thomas, for a big job,” said Guardiola, whose City side were defeated by Tuchel’s Chelsea in the 2021 Champions League final.
“I wish England – for the fact I am nine years here – the very best for both of them.”
When asked to clarify if there had been any contact from the FA, Guardiola replied: “Thomas Tuchel is the manager. So forget about it.
“I am the manager of Man City. The conversations I have is with Man City. This is what it is.
“Tuchel is the manager already. Thomas is there. This is the most important thing. The rest is not important.”
The 53-year-old also gave a long answer when questioned over whether the manager of the England team should be English, following the debate that has surrounded Tuchel’s appointment this week.
The Catalan said “you have to be open minded” and “share experiences” as he reflected on what he has learned from his nine years coaching in England.
“The federation decide for a foreign manager with a well known, recognised for his talent and I wish him the best. I will support him unconditionally because he will represent your country the very best, for his knowledge, his wisdom to do the best,” Guardiola said.
“If he wins it will be completely prized and if he loses he will be criticised. It doesn’t matter if he’s foreign or not. The federation decide he’s the right person to lead this transition and follow the incredible job Gareth Southgate has done.”
Guardiola also said “part of me is leaving” after it was confirmed that City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain will leave the club at the end of the season.
Begiristain is a key figure at City and was instrumental to appointing Guardiola in 2016, with Sporting Lisbon’s Hugo Viana has been lined up as his replacement next summer.
“A part of me is leaving,” Guardiola said. “A friend of mine and the architect to create one of the best teams ever at Barcelona and now here. I knew the decision for a long time, a family reason, personal reason. I know how grateful he is for his experience here.
“He will be missed a lot. For the confidence, the trust especially in the bad moments. He makes me incredibly balanced in my job. I’m so energetic when it is going wrong I want to destroy everything and all the time he said,’ see you tomorrow take a coffee’.
“He helped me a lot in Barcelona and here. But I have the opinion the club is so solid, incredible structure and families have to move on and the club will move on.”
Guardiola added that he has not set a deadline on making a decision over his future but said he would have left if he felt as if he was causing the club a problem by staying.
“I’m pretty sure the club had options when Txiki leaves and they have options when Pep will leave. Sooner or later it is going to happen and they are prepared so it’s not going to be a surprise,” he said.
“They know I have to – every sport director or whatever, that’s why I’m here for many years – I want to be convinced it’s what’s best for the club.
“I will not delay any action knowing that I’m creating a problem for the club. If I feel I’m a problem for the club right now I will take a decision as quick as possible.
“But I don’t have that feeling, they understand the reasons I have. That’s why Wolves is the priority.”