Pep has indicated to the City management that he would look for a big overhaul in the upcoming summer window. He hinted at his intention for an overhaul as he seeks to keep his trophy-winning squad fresh and hungry.
The first winter signing of Julian Alvarez has already started to re-shape the Man City squad. The Cityzens have won three of the last four Premier League titles and are on course for another one this season.
Man City is also looking forward to the Champions League and FA Cup. Despite signing the Argentinian prodigy for £14million, City is still expecting to sign Erling Haaland.
Guardiola said that keeping the squad happy is also important. Moreover, he hinted that players who express displeasure at not being in the team might be better moving on.
That casts fresh doubt on the future of Man City winger Raheem Sterling. Meanwhile, Sterling has been linked for a move elsewhere.
However, Sterling has come back strongly with eight goals in his last 14 games. Still, there is no sign of a new contract. His current deal is expiring in 2023. Meanwhile, this summer will be a crucial one for the England star.
Ilkay Gundogan, Gabriel Jesus, and Riyad Mahrez have also entered the final year of their contracts this summer. This indicates big decisions will have to be taken with all these players.
Man City last week made moves to secure the immediate future of the squad by signing Alvarez. They also signed long-term deals with Joao Cancelo, James McAtee, Oscar Bobb, and Josh Wilson-Esbrand.
That means the core of Guardiola’s current squad is wrapped up for the next three to five years. These include the names of Ruben Dias, Jack Grealish, Ederson, John Stones, Kayky, Aymeric Laporte, Kevin De Bruyne, and Bernardo Silva.
Pep views on City squad
Guardiola made it plain that he will not allow the squad to stagnate. Meanwhile, he spoke about the freshness that bringing in young aces like Alvarez, and promoting academy talents like McAtee, Wilson-Esbrand, and Cole Palmer brings to the first-team environment. He said:
As featured on ManCityNews.com“In one season you cannot just have 11 or 12 players, you have to have a deeper squad and hunger,”
“The core and the heart of the squad have to be there and at the same time players have to be happy or (of they) want more minutes, then they have to move. That is normal. Many things are going to happen here at the end of the season.
“Players who are playing, maybe they behave, if they don’t perform well, they are going to replaced by other players. The players not playing well are maybe going to play.
“These type of situations move a lot. At that moment you cannot replace 11 players in one season in a transfer window.
“The core, the soul of the team has to stay as much as possible. When you move a few players, it is not possible that it is 10 players.”
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