The next manager of Manchester City will not be sacked if the club does not win silverware in his first season, but will be expected to pick up five trophies in five years.
Those were the words of the club’s chief executive, Ferran Soriano, speaking to British media for the first time.
Roberto Mancini was sacked as manager two games before the end of the season after failing to retain the Premier League title he had won 12 months beforehand.
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“I would say I want to win five trophies in the next five years,” Soriano said.
“That may mean we win no trophies one year and two in another, but on average I want one trophy or title a year.” “That is the Champions League, the Premier League or the FA Cup.” Manuel Pellegrini, who has announced he is to leave Malaga at the end of this season, is the hot favourite to replace Mancini and Soriano hinted that he would get the job.
“I think the boxes are right. You know what we want,” he said.
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“The analysis of the candidates goes beyond the results that we can see.
“Age is not relevant at this point, but with the kind of squad we have, we want a senior manager.
“We want a manager who knows about football but we want somebody who knows about man management and this is something we are convinced about — myself, the board, the owner — that it is impossible for us to win, win the Champions League, if we don’t have a group that behaves like a family.”