When the defense of their Triple Crown gets underway, Pep Guardiola has revealed he has no idea who will be on his Manchester City team.
As he considered the possibility of losing FIVE of the players who assisted him in winning the Champions League, Premier League, and FA Cup last season, Guardiola appeared irate and furious before Sunday’s opening match of City’s pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea.
While captain Ilkay Gundogan has already left for Barcelona after refusing to sign a new contract and winger Riyad Mahrez is close to joining Saudi club Al Ahli for £30 million, there are still significant questions surrounding the futures of Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker, and Aymeric Laporte. All three players made it clear to Etihad bosses that they are considering their futures.
With the Community Shield match against Arsenal only two weeks away, Guardiola has been shocked by the possibility of seeing the team that made history torn apart. As a result, he has been forced to reassign full-back Joao Cancelo after the Portuguese full-back returned from a loan stint with Bayern Munich.
City has acquired a £30 million Mateo Kovacic from Chelsea, but their attempt to sign RB Leipzig’s brilliant young center-back Josko Gvardiol is at a standstill since City declined to pay the German club’s £87 million asking price for the Croat.
Sincerely, I didn’t anticipate this trend, Guardiola acknowledged. I believe a lot of things will occur. I’m unable to respond since I am unsure of the answer. The club is interested in my desire for the best for my players.
When City won the Champions League for the first time by defeating Inter Milan in Istanbul just six weeks ago, Guardiola created history by becoming the first manager to win the Triple Crown in two of the top leagues in Europe. In 2009, he helped Barcelona win La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey.
However, they pulled out of the contest to sign Declan Rice when Arsenal proposed to pay West Ham a British record £105 million after making some early moves to sign Kovacic. Gundogan left for Barcelona after accepting a three-year contract from the Catalans, and Mahrez chose to accept Al Ahli’s riches after being passed over for the FA Cup Final and Champions League Final.
Despite City’s offer of a new deal, Walker is high on Thomas Tuchel’s wish list at Bayern, and they are also prepared to grant Silva a pay raise in light of the Portuguese player’s renewed interest in departing following stints at Barcelona, Paris St. Germain, and Al Hilal.
After sitting on the sidelines for much of last season, Laporte is free to depart for £50 million, but only if City completes a deal for Gvardiol. Cancelo has been a disruptive influence in the locker room, and Guardiola has informed the club that he is not in his plans.
“I spoke with Kyle and everything is right. Now we will see what happens,” he admitted. But I’m unable to divulge anything because he is still deliberating. Joao is here and has helped us in the past, so he is significant. We will see what transpires now that he is back and a member of the group.