Pep Guardiola asked if Omar Barrada is taking Man City secrets to Man Utd | OneFootball

Manchester United made headlines recently as they poached Manchester City's chief operating officer, Omar Barrada, hiring him as their own chief executive officer, and Pep Guardiola has now spoken out about the situation for the first time Barrada spent over a decade at the Etihad Stadium and was responsible for some big signings in recent years.

He'll be replacing Richard Arnold at Old Trafford after the role was recently vacated, and the appointment acts as one of the first pieces of business overseen by Sir Jim Ratcliffe now that he's seized control of football operations at United. Considering the role he's played at City, joining their biggest rivals is a significant blow to the club and Guardiola has now been asked about the situation for the first time.

Guardiola not convinced Barrada will transform United

City boss believes he deserves a stand at Old Trafford if he does

When asked about Barrada's appointment at United in a press conference recently, Guardiola didn't hold back. The Catalan coach was honest with his assessment of the situation and isn't sure that appointing the CEO is enough to turn things around for the Red Devils after over a decade of turmoil. He was quick to point out that City still have the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland, talent that won't be at Old Trafford, so it won't be that easy to replicate his success with the Citizens.

Considering the size of the job at the Red Devils, Pep believes that it won't be easy for Barrada at Old Trafford, but if he does turn things around, he'll have done more than enough to earn his own stand at the club's iconic stadium.

Barrada oversaw some big moves at City

He was responsible for Erling Haaland's transfer

If you want to know about the level of business that Omar Barrada was conducting at City, you only have to go back to the summer of 2022 when the COO was responsible for the transfer of Erling Haaland to the Etihad. The Norwegian was one of the most highly sought-after players in the world at the time, but it was the Cityzens who landed his signature and Barrada played a key role in that. Haaland wasn't the only impressive name that he signed, though.

He also worked extensively throughout the entire City Football Group in the last couple of years, extending his efforts beyond just Manchester and also lending a hand to operations within some of the group's other clubs such as Girona. There are no two ways about it, this is one hell of a hire from United, and it certainly gets the Ratcliffe era at Old Trafford off to a very promising start.