Rio Ferdinand has ranked Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola as the second-best manager in the history of the Premier League.
Unsurprisingly, Ferdinand put his former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson as his No.1 but Pep is the runner-up in his top five:
“Fergie, Pep, [Arsene] Wenger, I think [Jose] Mourinho and Wenger will go side-by-side for me for different reasons. And then [Jurgen] Klopp.”
Guardiola’s achievements since arriving at the Etihad in 2016 can’t be argued with, and not many fans will disagree with Ferdinand’s ranking.
Ferdinand’s Top 5 is a fair reflection based on Premier League titles
With Ferguson having won an incredible 13 league titles, you can’t make a case for Guardiola being ranked above the United legend. Even if the Spaniard secures another first place this season, he will still not be halfway to the Scot’s total.
In terms of the rest of Ferdinand’s list, both Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger won 3 titles each during their times at Chelsea and Arsenal respectively, so the fact that TNT Sports pundit puts them joint third is fair. Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp has won a single title, along with six other managers, so some may dispute his position in Ferdinand’s rankings.
Guardiola has said he won’t be leaving City anytime soon
Following the news that Klopp will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season, it had prompted some discussion about how long City’s manager will remain in Manchester. However, Guardiola has recently spoken out to reassure supporters that he will be going nowhere:
“I have everything that a manager could dream of. The hierarchy, they always support me. We have changed a lot of players in seven years but all of them have been incredibly supportive. (It’s a) good environment so I have everything. Still, I feel good and of course one day it is going to finish but I don’t think about that right now.”
Guardiola’s current contract expires at the end of next season and the club will be doing all they can to ensure that he extends his stay.