Pep: Why I must boss a club in England

PEP GUARDIOLA positively peps up at the thought of returning to the game as a Premier League boss.

The former Barcelona coach, who has been taking a year’s sabbatical, is clearly intrigued and excited at the possibility of working in an environment he has never experienced before.

Barca may be the greatest club side in the world but they do not play in the most thrilling league.

Guardiola has the smell of football back in his nostrils and wants to breathe in that special air which English football generates and has the capacity to send us all giddy.

His old rival Jose Mourinho, now of Real Madrid but once of Chelsea, has said how much he craves a return — and Guardiola does not want to miss out either.

He said: “I am still young, just 41, so I hope in the future I could be able to train there (England) and enjoy it.

“I have always found English football very fascinating. I want to feel the supporters, the environment, the media, the style of the players and everything.

“The support of the home team is amazing. In Italy, Latin people will support you when you are playing well and when you lose, they kill you.

“In England, I’m always surprised that people always support everything and that is nice. That’s why, maybe, I hope to have the challenge or the opportunity to train there.”

Guardiola was speaking by video message as part of the FA’s 150th birthday celebrations, which kick off in London today.

And he has fond memories of their Wembley headquarters.

He won the European Cup at the old stadium as a Barcelona player in 1992 and returned to the new ground to win the Champions League as a boss with victory over Manchester United in 2011.

Guardiola said: “It was a huge honour to play at the old Wembley.

“And when I was manager of Barcelona for our second Champions League in three years, it was a real pleasure to play in the new Wembley.

“I am a lucky guy because I had the opportunity to play two finals, both in England at Wembley, and that’s why my relationship with England is pretty close.”

Guardiola enjoyed unprecedented success at the Nou Camp.

The combative midfielder won six La Liga titles and a Champions League among many other trophies wearing the famous Barca colours.

And when he took over in the dugout the silverware kept on coming, including three La Ligas and two Champions Leagues.

During his four years at the helm he became Barcelona’s most successful manager of all time, winning 14 trophies in total.

But he walked away burned out and desperate for a break, remarking that four years in charge of Barca felt like an eternity.

He was ready for a year off and nobody but nobody was going to talk him out of it.

Offers kept coming, notably from Chelsea, but he resisted and stayed firm in his desire to enjoy his break in the United States.

Guardiola turned up at the Ryder Cup and was credited with a small part in helping his pal and fellow Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal steer the European team to a sensational victory.

He also popped in to watch the US Open tennis.

Football, though, was never far from his heart and a couple of meetings with Alex Ferguson in the States, where Fergie has a home, whetted his appetite for a comeback and a possible job in England.

At the FIFA world player of the year awards, Guardiola announced: “I have taken a decision to return to coaching.”

That put the Premier League on red alert, along with Bayern Munich and Paris St Germain.

Bayern manager Jupp Heynckes is expected to go in May when his contract expires while Carlo Ancelotti seems to be on permanently dodgy ground at PSG.

Guardiola was also tipped for a return to Barcelona when his great friend Tito Vilanova, who succeeded him, went into hospital for a cancer operation.

But Vilanova has made a speedy recovery and, as SunSport revealed, Pep has been eyeing Manchester City as a likely destination.

His one-time bosses at Barca, Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain, are in prime positions at the Etihad to make a move to England happen.

Soriano is the club’s new chief executive while Begiristain is the director of football.

If Roberto Mancini is to be ousted at the end of the season, no two men have a more direct hotline to Guardiola.