Flashback to the 1st February 2016. Manchester City shocked the world by officially signing Pep Guardiola on a three-year contract, stamping their authority on the Premier League and letting everyone know that the club was more ambitious than ever. However, there was slight skepticism surrounding the arrival of Pep, as a small section of fans wondered whether he was capable of replicating the huge success he’d had with Barcelona and Bayern Munich. After all, the Premier League is a completely different beast.

Originally, it seemed like this skepticism might have been warranted, as Pep finished the 2016-2017 season empty-handed for the first time in his career. It wasn’t entirely his fault, though, as Pep was largely working with Manuel Pellegrini’s previous squad and hadn’t yet had the time to sign enough of his own players. So, when the summer 2017 transfer window rolled around, Pep went all guns blazing and spent over £200m on the likes of Ederson, Bernado Silva, and Kyle Walker, with all three of these players still with City to this day and widely regarded by the fan base as club legends.

Following that famous summer 2017 summer transfer window, Pep Guardiola transformed Manchester City and the “Pep Era” truly began. Since then, Guardiola has had the most glittering club managerial spell of his career, winning countless trophies and dominating England with the Sky Blues. And now that it’s approaching the 10-year mark for being in charge, many are asking whether Pep should be considered the Premier League’s greatest ever manager.

Yes — Pep Could Be Considered the Greatest Premier League Manager Ever

When it comes to the “GOAT” discussion, Pep Guardiola’s numbers don’t lie.

Since starting his reign with Manchester City back in 2016, Guardiola has won 6 Premier League titles (17/18, 18/19, 20/21, 21/22, 22/23, and 23/24). Within this is also the unique achievement of winning 4 Premier League titles in a row, something that had never been done before. And if Guardiola’s men are able to win the Premier League for a fifth time on the bounce, it’s a record that will almost certainly be unmatched for the rest of Premier League history.

On top of this, Pep has the highest points-per-game (2.34) of any Premier League manager ever, surpassing the likes of Alex Ferguson (2.16) and Jurgen Klopp (2.11). Not to mention, Pep’s incredible title runs have helped him to reach a record-breaking 73.4% win rate, which is higher than any past or present Premier League manager, with only Alex Ferguson (65.2%) coming close.

Aside from the numbers, though, many consider Pep to be the greatest Premier League manager ever because of one simple reason: his brand of football. During his time with Manchester City, Pep has revolutionized the way football is played domestically and throughout the rest of Europe. Now, almost every successful team, including those lower down the table, attempt to play possession-based football with ultra-tight passes, triangles, and the ability to play out from the back. At the same time, teams are also switching formations while in and out of possession, keeping it compact at the back but then attempting to play more expansive football when moving forward. Essentially, the Premier League has become very ‘technical’ — and it’s all thanks to Pep’s influence.

Over the past couple of seasons, Pep has also introduced new systems and ideas that have helped to further revolutionize how football is played. Most recently, the Spaniard has introduced his iconic 3-2-4-1 formation, which has once again sent shockwaves through the Premier League. The inspiration behind this formation is that it accommodates striker Erling Haaland, allows them to trigger presses extremely high up the pitch, maintain numerical superiority in the middle of the field, always have a passion option available, and remain as secure as possible at the back with 3 CBs. Not to mention, this formation has also allowed John Stones to convert from a center-back to a defensive midfielder during games, which has proven to be highly innovative and a huge success.

Of course, a large number of fans will fight the corner for Sir Alex Ferguson, who they believe to be the Premier League’s greatest ever manager. You can make a fair argument for it, too, as Ferguson has the most Premier League titles and made Manchester United into an immovable object for 27 years. However, at the same time, you can counteract this argument by analyzing the fact that Pep has been in the Premier League for significantly less time and yet is quickly closing in on many of Ferguson’s achievements (and has already surpassed some of them). Pep has also introduced new formations, styles of play, and ways of looking at the game, which Ferguson also did — but not to the same level as Pep.

Is Pep Leaving Manchester City?

It’s widely expected that Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City after the conclusion of the 2024/25 Premier League. With Pep’s current deal set to expire in the summer of 2025, it seems as though winning a fifth Premier League title in a row (which is a highly realistic possibility) would be the cherry on the cake for Pep’s City legacy. Not to mention, with the 115 FFP charges looming over the club, now would be a good time to exit if City are indeed going to be found guilty, which many insiders and reporters believe could happen.

Will Manchester City Win the 2024/25 Premier League Title?

Currently, all of the major soccer betting sites taken from Gamble USA have Manchester City as favorites to win the 2024/25 Premier League, which would be a record-breaking fifth title on the bounce for Pep’s City. If the Blues are able to beat Arsenal to the title, it would be hard to argue against Pep being one of the greatest managers of all time — if not the greatest. Despite a wealth of resources and a squad valued at close to £800 million, City only have a marginal financial advantage, with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal all spending big over recent years. It’s now much more of a level playing field, yet City have still managed to continue their domination, which is testament to Pep’s managerial capabilities as well as how the club is run off the pitch.

Conclusion

Pep Guardiola will go down in history as one of the greatest Premier League managers ever, up there with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Kenny Dalglish, and Arsene Wenger.  When it comes to the “GOAT” debate, a large section of fans will be in the camp that Pep is the best to ever step foot in the Premier League. Others will say Sir Alex Ferguson, so it’s likely that the debate will never end. One thing is for sure, though, and it’s that no manager will ever win four (or potentially five) Premier Leagues in a row like Pep has, which will be the highlight of his legacy.