'Good news for the league!' - Arne Slot delighted by Pep Guardiola's decision to extend Man City contract as Liverpool boss praises 'one of the best managers football has ever had'

Guardiola signed a new two-year deal with City earlier this week, just when it looked like he may leave next summer when his contract was set to expire. Reds boss Slot says the Spaniard staying put is great for the division, as having the best managers and players in the English top-flight makes everything better.

He told reporters on Friday: "That is good news for City, first of all, and also good news for the league because I think everybody wants to have the best managers possible over here and the best players over here - and he is definitely one of the best managers, maybe the best manager, in the league. If you look at what he did in the last few years, four times champions in a row, it’s fair to say that he is maybe the best manager in the league. So, that is a good thing, but on the other hand they have so many quality players that if he had made the choice to leave the club I wouldn’t have expected them to have ended up bottom of the league next season. Yes, good for the City fans and interesting for us as managers to keep on facing one of the best managers football has ever had."

Guardiola has brought City unprecedented success over the best part of a decade, winning a hatful of Premier League titles and the Champions League as well. The 53-year-old has said he wants to win more trophies with the English champions and while Slot may be happy Guardiola is not moving on just yet, it is harder to win trophies with his new rival on the scene.

Slot's Liverpool side will take on Guardiola's City for the first time on December 1 in a crunch top of the table clash at Anfield. Before then, the Reds travel to Southampton on Sunday and City host Tottenham on Saturday.