Thursday 17 January 2013 05:23, UK
Pep Guardiola will take over as Bayern Munich boss at the end of the season, the Bundesliga club have confirmed.
Since leaving Barcelona last summer, Guardiola has taken a career break but his talents have been courted ever since. "I can imagine that he was overwhelmed by offers," said Franz Beckenbauer, the Bayern honorary president. Beckenbauer told Germany's Sky Sport News HD: "I have to congratulate Bayern for bringing in Guardiola." Guardiola's appointment came as a shock to former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas. Villas-Boas, now at Tottenham, told CNN World Sport: "I'm so surprised that I asked my media advisor from Tottenham if it was true. Obviously it's a big, big club - one of the biggest clubs in the world - in a league where we didn't maybe expect Guardiola to be in." Trizia Fiorellino, chair of the Chelsea Supporters Group, said she saw no obvious candidate to step in this summer at Stamford Bridge after Guardiola chose Bayern. Fiorellino said: "I think the fans are just wondering what this means for us. "I don't think Roman Abramovich made any secret Guardiola was our first choice. "It's time to look elsewhere but there's no-one really available. "Some are hoping Jose (Mourinho) comes back, others fancy Jurgen Klopp, the Borussia Dortmund manager."
