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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Will Freeman

Pep Guardiola rejected chance to sign for "genius" Sam Allardyce after Barcelona meeting

Sam Allardyce could have signed Pep Guardiola during his time as Bolton manager, with the now City boss having met with the legendary midfielder in his Barcelona flat 20 years ago.

The pair meet this weekend in the Premier League, with Allardyce embarking on his ninth Premier League managerial job as he is tasked with keeping Leeds United in the top flight. His side currently sit 17th in the table with four games left to play, with a tough assignment to start at the Etihad on Saturday afternoon.

Allardyce has developed a reputation as being a survival specialist, with a number of Premier League clubs in the last decade hiring the 68-year-old to keep them in the Premier League. However, 20 years ago at Bolton Wanderers he had built an illustrious side who were an established top-half outfit.

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