THE (ALMOST) PERFECT TEN

In his Etihad decade, Pep Guardiola has challenged traditional footballing wisdom to become the most influential coach of English football's modern era

- ANDY DUNN

AT three minutes past one o'clock in the afternoon, on this day a decade ago, Manchester City made one of the most significant announcements in the history of English club football.

When Pep Guardiola leaves the Premier League, assessments of his legacy will be legion and they will be varied.

But the written confirmation of his arrival on these shores - delivered in a 110-word missive on the club's website on February 1, 2016 - was the prologue to an era that challenged conventional footballing wisdom on these shores.

That is the Guardiola legacy that is indisputable. Everything else will be up for fierce and complex debate.

For a start, there are 115 charges.

If his tangible success - that extensive collection of trophies - was won with a club that broke the Premier League's financial rules, then that tangible success will be tainted.

That will happen even though most of the alleged breaches go back to before he started work at the Etihad.

And don't forget, there will never be any implication that Guardiola himself was involved in any sort of wrongdoing.