Pep Guardiola’s arrival in the Bundesliga will boost the whole division, according to former West Germany international Gunter Netzer.
The ex-Barcelona boss will end his sabbatical from the game when he returns to take charge of German champions Bayern Munich next season and will arrive in a domestic league that has grown significantly in stature over the past season, with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern flying the flag in Europe, reaching the UEFA Champions League final.
And Netzer is confident that the presence of Spaniard Guardiola will serve to increase the Bundesliga’s profile even further.
“It’s a massive piece of good fortune for the Bundesliga that a coach like Guardiola will soon be arriving,” Netzer, who played for Borussia Monchengladbach and Real Madrid in the 1960s and 70s, told the official Bundesliga website.
“He won’t only have a huge say in the direction of Bayern but of the entire league, I’m sure of that.
“I think we need some new ideas and impetus in Germany and that can only come through foreign coaches that favour a different style of play and have a different footballing philosophy.
“Obviously, not every team is going to be able to play football in the image of Guardiola, but he will definitely provide a fresh impetus to the league.”
Bayern announced the capture of Guardiola in January, midway through a season that ended in treble glory, with Champions League, Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal silverware all added to the trophy cabinet.
Jupp Heynckes’ achievements undoubtedly mark him out as a tough act to follow but Netzer is confident Guardiola will quickly step out of the 68-year-old’s shadow.
“I’m sure he will continue to develop them and I’m very intrigued to see how he does it,” he added.
“There’s definitely the potential to improve them, otherwise Bayern wouldn’t have hired him. That’s not to say that he will sacrifice any of the good things that the team has done this season, though.”
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