Home   >   Transfer News   >   Manuel Pellegrini confirmed as Manchester City manager

Manuel Pellegrini confirmed as Manchester City manager

By on June 14, 2013

Manchester City have confirmed the long awaited appointment of Manuel Pellegrini as the successor of Roberto Mancini, with the Chilean manager promising to bring a “new cycle and a new style” to the English club. Pellegrini, who set a goal to lead City to the Premier League and Champions League titles in his first season at the club, has signed a three-year £3.4 million a year deal at the Etihad, nearly two weeks after leaving his post at Malaga. Although having signed personal terms at City when first leaving Malaga, Pellegrini’s appointment had been delayed because Malaga had failed to find a suitable replacement for the Chilean. But in the wake of the Spanish club appointing Bernd Schuster as manager, City announced Pellegrini’s appointment in a statement on their official website.

City will expect Pellegrini to bring them European as well as domestic glory, with the signings of Fernandinho fro Shakhtar Donestk and Jesus Navas from Sevilla underlining their expectations for the 59-year-old. The former Malaga manager has had experience on the European level after leading Malaga to the Champions League Quarterfinals last season in the Spanish club’s first ever Champions League campaign, a key feature which caught the attention of City, who have failed to qualify from the group stages in the past two seasons.

Pellegrini is currently on holiday, and will take up his post as manager on June 24, bringing with him assistant manager Rubén Cousillas, the goalkeeping coach Xabier Mancisidor and fitness coach José Cabello.

The Chilean manager has had over 25 years of experience, after starting his career at Chilean clubs Universidad Chile, Palestino, O’Higgins and Universidad Catoilica, San Lorenzo and River Plate of Argentina. He was appointed manager of Villarreal in 2004, and after leading the club to Champions League semi-finals in 2006 took over at Real Madrid. Although a frustrating season saw Pellegrini sacked after only a year in charge, he took over at Malaga the following season. He lead Malaga to the Champions League for the first time, despite losing key players like Santi Cazorla and Nacho Monreal due to financial issues, and earned the club a sixth place finish last season.

Pellegrini will join a side who finished second 11 points behind rivals Manchester United in the Premier League last season, but has claimed he will “win it all” with City.

“Everyone knows that when you arrive at a club like Manchester City you must win titles,” Pellegrini said.

“Manchester City have invested a lot of money to improve the squad every year and to try and win titles every year. They were not successful in some titles [last season] but I’m sure next year we can win maybe the Premier League and Champions League. We will try to win it all.”

Young Malaga starlet Isco is expected to follow his former manager to Manchester after the European Under-21 Championships, which he is taken part in with the Spain U21s. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder netted 12 goals in 46 appearances for Malaga last season after moving to Malaga the previous season from Valencia.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.