Season after season, we repeatedly hear the words: champions, priority, stability. But there is no constancy in football — especially at the very top. After four consecutive years of a great generation and championship, Manchester City finished last season without a single trophy for the first time. This signaled the beginning of a new revolution in the team, writes cityxtra.co.uk.
Josep Guardiola has now admitted that the old squad needs to be reduced and new blood brought in. City is now parting ways with aging stars and moving on to attracting talented youth who can refresh the spirit and environment of the team. This process is difficult and sometimes painful, but there was no other way. A crisis after success is actually a natural thing.
The rejuvenation process was especially evident during the winter transfer window: the club’s long-time captain, Kyle Walker, went on loan to Milan, and then his move to Burnley was officially confirmed. The departure of the 35-year-old defender brings City an income of £5 million, but this is not the main goal — the team's wage costs have been optimized, and psychologically, a new stage has begun.
Besides Walker, another important name this summer — Kevin De Bruyne — also left as a free agent, attracting more attention. Even more interesting is the appointment of Hugo Viana as sporting director, who is following a system of not granting special privileges to any star player. The management has tasked the new director with completely renewing the aging and injury-prone squad.
Under Viana's leadership, City signed new players this summer such as Rayan Aït-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders, Marcus Bettinelli, and Ryan Sharkey. At the Club World Cup, the team's weak points, especially defensive problems, became obvious: in the match against Al-Hilal, the team lost in extra time.
The center of defense especially requires even stronger names. At the end of the season, John Stones may leave the team, and the sale of Nathan Aké and Manuel Akanji is also planned. On the left flank, Joško Gvardiol and the newly arrived Aït-Nouri are seen as the main support. There have been problems on this position for several years, and now the club is paving the way for a clear and decisive solution.
The squad has become more compact, and Guardiola prefers to use versatile players. But the lack of an experienced right-back has been noticeable in City's games. After Kyle Walker's departure, Mateus Nunes and Rico Lewis were trusted in this position. However, neither has yet shown stable play in their place.
In fact, Uzbek central defender Abduqodir Husainov successfully played on the right flank in several matches. Husainov, who came from Lens, will be put to a big test next season as well.
This season, Manchester City spent about £300 million on transfers, signing contracts with 8 new players. But the club does not intend to stop: the team continues searching for new names to strengthen the defense. If they cannot bring in Valentino Livramento from Newcastle, the search for a right-back will continue until winter.
Head coach Josep Guardiola described the second half of last season as the most difficult period of his career. For City to fight for the Premier League title again and progress further in the Champions League, there is no room for economizing on transfers.
Such a reconstruction and rejuvenation policy may once again open the way to championship for Manchester City in the future. But for now, the team is parting with past achievements and stepping into a new era. The club faces big challenges and new opportunities. From the renewed and inspired City, fans now expect even more action, priorities, and intrigue.
As always, Zamin.uz continues to promptly and objectively deliver the most important football news to its readers. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!
Ctrl
Enter
Did you find a Mistake?
Highlight the phrase and press Ctrl+Enter Related News
