Where Could Pep Guardiola Go Next Odds?

Pep Guardiola’s future at Manchester City has been cast into doubt as it is unclear whether they will be competing in the Champions League again before 2022. Their short term future hangs in the balance and depends on the success of their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Spaniard's contract is set to expire in the summer of 2021, so even if his current club’s ban is reduced to just the one season, it wouldn’t be unfeasible to think that he would endure one season without European football to try and take the Premier League title one more time.

It's no secret that Pep Guardiola’s main goal as the City boss was to win the Champions League, with previous managers, Manuel Pellegrini and Roberto Mancini, already reaching England's pinnacle. So, although winning back to back titles in record fashion was truly unprecedented, the evasion of Europe's elite title might make Guardiola's time at the club slightly less attractive to look back on.

Indeed, its been almost a decade since Guardiola last won the Champions League and as a man considered by many as the world’s best coach, this will be a huge concern for him. Perhaps even more so when you remember Jurgen Klopp and his arch-rivals, Real Madrid, have both dominated Europe within this time. Truthfully, can he wait another year to challenge for the trophy? Doubtful.

Bookmakers seem to have their minds made up on the situation and here, we look at the odds offered by Paddy Power for Guardiola's next managerial appointment.

At odds of 4/7, Juventus are clear favourites with Paddy Power to take Guardiola on as their head coach. In truth, Juventus does seem like the natural step for the 49-year-old on his quest to complete the European circuit throughout the top leagues. Guardiola has won league titles in Spain, Germany and now England, making Italy - specifically with the prolific Serie A winners - a seemingly natural progression.

Plus, it’s clear to see why Guardiola would be favourable for Juventus. Whilst the Bianconeri won't be desperate to sack current coach Maurizio Sarri after just one season, parting ways with the ex-Chelsea man would make sense as they continue to plateau since the departure of Massimiliano Allegri.

Most seasons, the Old Lady tend to run away with the Serie A title, but not this year. As of now, Lazio are just a point behind them, whilst Inter Milan have only dropped off recently because of questionable form themselves.

Juventus still dominate domestically, however, but it is in Europe where they have seriously lacked that competitive edge. The club have not won the Champions League since way back in in 1997, when they narrowly beat Ajax on penalties, and have famously reached five finals ever since, losing all five of them.

Nowadays, winning Italy's top flight is merely an expectation rather than an achievement, as they aim for their ninth title in a row. As a result, all eyes are on winning the Champions League, hence the addition of Cristiano Ronaldo, and the desire to bring in Guardiola.

In his second season in charge of Barcelona, a famous treble win cemented Guardiola's legacy in football's history books immediately. Two seasons later, he would once again beat Sir Alex Ferguson's Manchester United and win another Champions League title.

Guardiola's efforts in Europe will be why Juventus want him, whilst from a personal standpoint, the Spaniard will surely want to tick off another domestic dominance on his unrivalled list.

At 4/7, the odds might be short, but it really does seem as if this one will happen, especially if City's European ban goes through.

Nobody comes close to Juventus in the betting market, but Barcelona offers an interesting second favourite option at odds of 5/1. It is no secret that Guardiola loves Barcelona, joining his boyhood club at the age of 13 and going onto spend 17 years there and 12 of those were in the first-team.

In total, he won an incredible 16 trophies in 479 games for the club as a player, as well as captaining the side for four years. Then, after graduating from managing the youth sides, Guardiola made his way to become the first-team coach, where he would create a new definition of relentlessness when it comes to winning.

The City boss would win 14 major trophies in four years at the Camp Now, but shocked the world when he left in 2012. In truth, after being a Barcelona fan and player most of his life, it was - and still is - strange to see why he left so early, especially considering how much they dominated Europe.

He didn’t leave on a bitter note, however, and he would surely want a second crack at the job, as it would be a return to the place he calls home. As for Barcelona, they haven't exactly struggled without Guardiola, however, winning another treble in 2015 and losing the league title just twice in the seven seasons since.

But now, with Neymar, Andres Iniesta, Xavi and more moving on, the club are not the force they were when he was in charge. The Catalan giants have had to sit back and watch Madrid dominate Europe, whilst they are only two points ahead of them in La Liga right now - a huge contrast to recent years.

Plus, uncharacteristic big money signings haven’t quite gone to plan for them and their unique playing style is becoming a distant memory. Plus, Barcelona’s management in recent years has been very much below par, with Luis Enrique perhaps the only man to look back on his time as their boss with pride.

Odds are now a high 5/1 for Guardiola to rejoin his old side, which is always a good price considering his legacy and strong love with the Spanish giants. Plus, Barcelona will surely want to return to Europe's pinnacle once more, and perhaps look at him to get them here.

Similar to his former clubs Bayern and Barcelona, winning the league title for Paris Saint-Germain is expected and celebrated as more of a relief at avoiding embarrassment, rather than as a monumental achievement.

In Germany, England and Spain, there is clear competition and winning the league title isn't always as straight forward. However, in Ligue 1, there is very little in the way of PSG being crowned champions, especially after Monaco's dramatic downfall in recent years.

Moving to France would perhaps be too easy for Guardiola, which is just as much as a compliment to him, as it is a dig at the ease PSG have it in Ligue 1. However, just like the reasons behind his employment at City, the ex-Barcelona manager will be wanted to finally get PSG to Europe's pinnacle - it's now been almost a decade of wealth for the Parisian's without a European final to match.

With this said, PSG will surely be on Guardiola's mind, although, perhaps not within his immediate future. Odds with Paddy Power are 6/1, which could be worth a punt if Juventus are to stick with Sarri instead.

By Jak Richardson