Pellegrini open to managing Prem team not in Europe

Mark Holmes
Manuel Pellegrini: Preparing for final game in charge at City

Manuel Pellegrini: Preparing for final game in charge at City

Manuel Pellegrini is open to the prospect of remaining in the Premier League after this season – and would gladly manage a team not in Europe.

Pellegrini will be out of work at the end of the season when he is replaced by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.

The Chilean has been linked with the Valencia job and is also a target for Zenit Saint Petersburg, but the money available to all Premier League clubs could persuade him to stay in England even at the expense of European football.

He told the Sunday Telegraph: “It depends on the mentality of the manager. I always remember when I finished with Real Madrid I had a lot of different options and I chose Malaga because the project was interesting.

“It doesn’t matter which club you are going to, whether it’s a big or a small team, it depends on the project of the club and what they want to develop at the club and the players you can bring to the club.

“There are a lot of interesting things here in England because all the clubs have money to have a good project, so surely a lot of managers will be interested in a lot of clubs.

“With the new rights from the TV deal you have more money and all the teams here in England can pick good players.”

With Chelsea and Manchester United expected to appoint Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho as their new managers, Pellegrini would likely have to manage a club not playing in Europe were he to remain in England, but it is something the 62-year-old would actually welcome.

“It’s very important not to play in the mid-week because you can work with your teams,” he said. “It’s impossible to work when you are just playing, playing, playing.

“All those teams who are not involved in Europe can work during the whole week, so I’m sure this season with Leicester and next season we will see a couple more teams involved with the title.”