Bayern Munich began work on Pep Guardiola's appointment before Christmas
Chelsea will be frustrated to miss out on their number one target
Wednesday 16 January 2013
Related articles
Bayern Munich had been secretly working to bring Pep Guardiola in as manager since before Christmas.
The Budesliga side today announced they had got their man and that the former Barcelona manager would take over from the end of the season.
Only yesterday Bayern were issuing denials that Guardiola would become manager, while it had been widely predicted that the 41-year-old would return to management with Chelsea.
Yet the current European champions have missed out on their man, and will be all the more frustrated in the knowledge that Bayern have been working on bringing Guardiola in for the last month and that they missed the opportunity to muscle in on the deal.
The contract of current Bayern manger Jupp Heynckes is due to expire at the end of the current campaign and when the 67-year-old informed the club at the end of last year he would not be seeking an extension and would instead retire, Bayern immediately turned their attention to Guardiola.
Speaking about Heynckes decision to retire at the end of what is his third stint in charge of the German giants, Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: "As a club and as Jupp Heynckes' friends we have to show understanding for this decision. We have to accept it and we have to respect it."
"During personal talks with Jupp Heynckes we assured each other that we will do anything we can, and now even more, to have a successful second half of the season 2012/13 where we want to get the title to Munich."
Rummenigge added: "We are very pleased that we have managed to convince the football expert Pep Guardiola, who was coveted and contacted by many top clubs, to come to Bayern Munich."
Bayern Munich chairman Uli Hoeness said: "Following the decision of Jupp Heynckes, whose work we are extremely grateful for, we would be very happy if the team would give this great coach a glorious farewell.
"Only someone of the calibre of coach Pep Guardiola was an adequate replacement for Jupp Heynckes."
Latest in Sport
Sport blogs
iBet: Look To The Lady In The Prince Of Wales
The Prince of Wales Stakes today is regarded by many as the No1 race of the Royal Ascot meeting and ...
by Gareth Purnell
19 June 2013 02:01 AM
iBet: Favourites have a good record in the Coventry stakes
Today’s St James Palace looks a cracker and there has been sustained money for Dawn Approach since t...
by Gareth Purnell
18 June 2013 02:01 AM
Newcastle don’t need a football director – they need a new medical team after finishing bottom of the injury league
Newcastle United have shocked their fans by appointing Joe Kinnear as director of football but new f...
by Alex Miller
17 June 2013 04:39 PM
-
ACT Brumbies v British and Irish Lions - player ratings
-
Premier League fixture list unveiled: David Moyes and Jose Mourinho on an early collision course
-
Liverpool expected to complete deal for £6m Spanish winger Luis Alberto in next 48 hours
-
In pictures: Royal Ascot 2013 - Opening day
-
Exclusive: Cristiano Ronaldo advised to stay at Real Madrid for further 18 months before making possible switch to Manchester United
- 1 Disability campaigners celebrate 'victory' after government rethink over plans to make it more difficult to claim disability benefits
- 2 Bankers could face jail after report urges the Government to introduce new criminal offence for reckless management
- 3 Breaking the Silence: In the reality of occupation, there are no Palestinian civilians – only potential terrorists
- 4 We never knew Nigella Lawson - and we still don’t
- 5 Vice pulls 'breathtakingly tasteless' fashion shoot glorifying the suicides of famous female authors from Sylvia Plath to Virginia Woolf
How will you make today delicious?
Tell us how you plan to make today delicious and you could win a £50 M&S gift card.
Win a Nook® Simple Touch eReader
Find out how Nook® is supporting the Evening Standard's Get Reading campaign - and your chance to win one.
Free reading festival for families
Follow The Standard's campaign to get London's children reading - and experience this unique event at Trafalgar Square on 13 July.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
First night: The Cripple of Inishmaan
Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention
Female aristocrats battle to inherit the title



Comments