La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) has identified Pep Guardiola as its dream candidate to coach the national team and build a new project for Italian football in the coming years.
The Azzurri failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup for the third consecutive time after losing the European playoff final to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties.
A major overhaul awaits Italian football in the coming years, and the first step will be appointing a new national team coach to succeed Gennaro Gattuso. Three names have already been proposed for the position.
Among the domestic names is Antonio Conte, the current Napoli coach, who previously led Italy at Euro 2016 and achieved impressive results. He is expected to leave the southern Italian club at the end of the current season.
Another name is Roberto Mancini, the current Al Sadd coach, who guided Italy to Euro 2020 victory but failed to qualify his country for the 2022 World Cup and was subsequently dismissed.
Finally, Italy dreams of convincing Pep Guardiola to take over as manager of the Azzurri, especially since his future with Manchester City remains uncertain. It is highly likely he will leave the Etihad Stadium at the end of this season and not wait until the summer of 2027 when his contract expires.
Historically, no foreign coach has ever managed the Italian national team, but Guardiola could be the exception. The Spanish coach’s presence at the helm would undoubtedly revolutionize Serie A and turn things upside down.
It’s worth noting that José Mourinho was a strong candidate to take over the Italian national team when Luciano Spalletti left last year. However, Gianluigi Buffon insisted on appointing a local coach to revitalize the players, and Gennaro Gattuso ultimately succeeded.
