As confirmed by the club, on Friday, May 22, Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City at the end of the 2025/26 season.
Chris Waddle has suggested that Guardiola’s next challenge could be one of the most difficult and fascinating moves in football – taking charge of Marseille and attempting to end Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance in France.
The former England winger believes it would be Guardiola’s greatest achievement if he could guide the French giants back to the top of Ligue 1.
Speaking to BOYLE Sports, who offer the latest football odds, Waddle said Guardiola would face a completely different challenge compared to his previous jobs at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
Guardiola facing a different kind of challenge
“Pep Guardiola to Marseille? That would be an unbelievable story,” Waddle said.
Guardiola has spent his managerial career at clubs with enormous resources and major expectations.
At Barcelona, he worked with one of the biggest sides in world football, while Bayern Munich dominated German football during his spell in charge.
Manchester City also backed him heavily in the transfer market throughout his reign, allowing him to dominate English football for a decade.
Waddle believes Marseille simply cannot compete financially with PSG, which would make any attempt to win Ligue 1 a huge task.
“I can’t see Marseille toppling Paris Saint-Germain at the moment without him because of their financial situation,” he explained.
“Marseille have got some players but they’re not like PSG where they can sign top stars and keep hold of them.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: Manchester City news: Pep Guardiola departs after dominant decade in charge
A Maradona-style legacy?
Waddle suggested that if Guardiola somehow transformed Marseille into league champions, it would surpass anything he has achieved previously.
“To go to Marseille, Guardiola wouldn’t get the option of buying the players he probably wants,” he said.
Europe’s elite clubs, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Manchester City, are often competing for the same players, leaving clubs like Marseille further down the line.
Still, Waddle believes success in those circumstances would be historic.
“If he were to turn Marseille into Ligue 1 champions, that would be his greatest-ever achievement in my eyes. It would be like when Diego Maradona went to Napoli.”
Saudi interest could change the picture
Despite the intriguing possibility, Waddle admitted he struggles to see the move becoming a reality.
“I just can’t see it happening because he’ll get a lot of offers including from places like the Saudi Pro League,” he added.
Guardiola has earned the right to choose from football’s biggest opportunities – and Marseille may simply be too difficult a project to tempt him.
