Manchester City had a very complicated 2024/2025 season. Between an aging workforce and a cascade of injuries, the reigning England champions will not win anything this year. Beaten in the league by Liverpool and Arsenal (3rd in the ranking), eliminated from the Champions League from the play -offs by Real Madrid and defeated by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, the club trained by Pep Guardiola experienced a real ordeal. Faced with this observation, observers logically await a reaction on the transfer market.
Manchester City wants to regain its strength and must replace several aging frames. The main project will also be to find a successor to the Belgian Kevin de Bruyne. But not only. In recent weeks, the names of Florian Wirtz, Tijjani Reijnders and Morgan Gibbs have fueled the Mercato gazettes. If the track leading to Wirtz seems to have died out, there is no doubt that the Skyblues will still express the wishes of a coach renowned to claim several reinforcements each summer. But yesterday, Pep Guardiola dropped a small bomb after the match against Bournemouth (3-1).
“”I don't want that. I will leave the club otherwise.»»
“”I told the club that I did not want that (a more important workforce. I do not want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don't want that. I will leave the club otherwise. If we reduce the workforce, I will remain. It is impossible for my soul to tell my players in the stands that they cannot play. It happened because we added four players. injuries), we did not have defenders, it was very difficult.».
Relaunched by journalists surprised by his declaration, does Guardiola expect a wave of departures? “I don't know, that's a question for the club. I don't want to have 24, 25, 26 players when everyone is in good shape. If I have injured, bad luck, we have a few players for the academy and we will play them. We cannot maintain the emotion of the club, the soul of the team creates another connection with others that we have lost a little this season. The players stay at home week after week. The players must be there to fight between them to play and it is necessary that it is the good number. Lots of injuries? It's no luck, but we have to do it. »» The message has passed.
