Ex-Burnley coach revealed what Pep Guardiola said about not signing Lionel Messi.
Former Burnley manager Sean Dyche recently told the story of how Guardiola warned Lionel Messi against coming to the Premier League, citing the difficulty of facing a team like the Englishman's Clarets and the type of physical punishment one suffers in the division.
Messi to Manchester City
Years after Messi rejected the infamous "blank cheque," from Manchester City, or as Marca reports it, a €50 million annual salary and a €100 million signing-on fee years before the Saudi Pro League made it normal to pay footballers such ridiculous amounts, the Cityzens had the chance to sign Messi again.
First in the summer of 2020, when he sent a burofax demanding to leave the club - albeit rejected by Jose Maria Bartomeu, the club's president - and then in 2021, when he eventually left the club for PSG.
Manchester City were thought to be the obvious option given the presence of Pep Guardiola, and his love for Messi; however, the Cityzens did not make a serious push.
What Sean Dyche said
City's failure to make a serious effort for Messi also confused Dyche, who was the Burnley manager at the time. In a recent interview with Talk Sport, he revealed that he approached Guardiola during a Premier League event and asked why they did not sign Messi.
"Lionel [Messi] no way he can come to Manchester City," Dyche said Guardiola told him. "Because I told Lionel it rains. It rains and rains. And when it stops raining, it rains again.
"Lionel, on a Monday night, you have to go to Burnley, Sean's [Dyche] team. And they go bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
"I went, 'That's exactly what we're going to do, Pep. You warned him correctly.' Me and Brucey [Steve Bruce] were crying, honestly. It was genius. Pep, brilliant.
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