Pellegrini heads for City

departure begins.

Chief executive Ferran Soriano made that much clear before the club returned from their end-of-season trip to America. Soriano sees managers operating in two- or three-year cycles, four at the outside, so this is no legacy appointment.

He also still talks wistfully of Pep Guardiola, so there is a sense Pellegrini merely warms the seat for the real first choice. Certainly, the new man isn’t about to emulate the longevity of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger or even David Moyes.

So are his duties short-term? Not exactly. Soriano also stated that he wishes Pellegrini to work more closely with the youth coaches, helping produce teams he will never get to manage. Next on the list is dressing-room harmony. That needs to improve, although disaffected players could simply choose to wait the manager out, with another along soon. The football must also get better.

“We are looking to play good football and to win — and I said that in the right order,” Soriano insisted. So beauty is all. Actually, no. City’s new manager must consistently deliver success, five trophies in five years.

Quite how a manager does this when his cycle lasts half that remains to be seen. Maybe altering the space-time continuum will be part of Pellegrini’s remit, too. He does have a background in science.

Soriano is a respected figure in football, otherwise he would have been laughed out of town as he unveiled the latest job spec. — Mailonline.