Football
Jonathan Smith, Manchester City correspondent 8y

Manuel Pellegrini: Premier League only going to get tougher in future

MANCHESTER -- Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United could all miss out on the Champions League next season and Manuel Pellegrini believes the race for the top four is only going to get tougher.

While the City boss won't be in charge at the Etihad next season, with Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola taking over in the summer, he insists it is good for English football to have so much competition.

Pellegrini, who has been linked with Chelsea, has said he would like to remain in the Premier League although he would not been drawn on his future at his news conference ahead of the top-of-the-table clash with surprise leaders Leicester City.

But if he does stay in England, the Chilean believes it will only get harder for the teams at the top as their rivals now have the money to buy the quality to compete.

"I think it's very good for the Premier League and probably next year another team will be involved in the fight for the title," he told a news conference.

"Here in England all the teams have a lot of money to spend and a lot of them have very good players. After that you must make the motivation to do it and performance of the players. It is important for the Premier League -- not just Leicester or Tottenham.

"The big teams will continue trying to bring the best players but I think that other teams can bring different players but all of them are very good players and we have seen this season that maybe for some it is strange.

"For me it is the best season because we have such a small difference between one team and another that every game is a final."

Leicester City are currently top of the Premier League while Tottenham Hotspur sit third -- just five points behind.

The Foxes have bought particularly well. Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kante, who have underpinned their success this season, cost around £7 million in total.

And Pellegrini is in no doubt they have the strength to win the title.

"They can do it and they are demonstrating they can do it this season," he said. "I don't think we can keep taking about a surprise and I don't think we can keep thinking Leicester won't be involved in the title until the end.

"They continue having good players who demonstrate last season and this season what they can do. For me, it's not a surprise. It's the performance of the players altogether in the same moment."

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