CREDIT: "LIGA" BY TSUTOMU TAKASU ON FLICKR (CC BY 2.0)
With experience as both a player and a coach, Josep 'Pep' Guardiola is one of the most wanted managers in the Premier League.

We all saw this coming. In what has got to be one of the worst kept secrets in a sport widely known for not keeping secrets well, Bayern Munich manager Josep ‘Pep’ Guardiola will be taking over the reins at Manchester City at the conclusion of the season. It was common knowledge that his three year spell in Germany would be coming to an end, the manager was never shy about not extending his contract, and his next destination has been one of the hottest topics in football news.

The appointment will come as a disappointment to many clubs in the Premier League and beyond, as Guardiola is easily the most successful manager who is currently without a job. Clubs such as Chelsea, who only has an interim manager, and Manchester United, who seem increasingly unlikely to continue with their current manager after this season, were also touted as possible destinations for Gardiola. At 45-years-old, practically an infant in football management, Guardiola brings with him years of success as a player and coach, and seems to be the manager who will most likely build a dynasty somewhere, if he can ever manage to put down some roots.

Just a year after wrapping up his illustrious playing career, Guardiola made his first steps into management with Barcelona B. The reserve squad for Barcelona which, due to the complexity of Spanish football structure, is considered a professional club in their own right, and recently competed in the second tier of Spanish football, where Guardiola led them. Selected as the manager of the senior side at the conclusion of the 2007-2008, he found instant success. With the likes of Lionel Messi on his team, combined with smart signings and even smarter promotions from the reserves, Guardiola would instantly become the clubs’ most successful manager, winning an astonishing 14 trophies in his four years at the helm.

He left in 2013, having won every trophy he possibly could at the club, in order to take charge of another massive team in Bayern Munich. Thus far, he has led the club to two consecutive Bundesliga title and a domestic cup, only lacking the Champion’s League from his German trophy cabinet. Some of his critics have used this to point out his possible shortcomings, as Germany lacks the level of competition found in Spain and England, making Bayern almost untouchable in the country.

With his future at Manchester City confirmed, people can now think forward to what sort of team he will be looking to create next season. City has the financial clout to hand him virtually all the money he wants in order to bring in players. Those resources, combined with his tactics and the players he will already have at his disposal make the club’s future a frightening prospect.