It was about a month ago when Pep Guardiola dropped the first hint that he intended to stick around at Manchester City.
That was when he appointed his long-time ally Juan Manuel Lillo as assistant manager.
Why ask your friend to move his life to England if it was only likely to be short term?
Pep Guardiola is preparing to build another great title-winning team at Manchester City
The perceived wisdom was that Guardiola’s future at City would be compromised by the club’s proposed exclusion from the Champions League.