One of England’s strongest clubs, Manchester City, has taken its transfer policy to a new stage. After head coach Josep Guardiola repeatedly emphasized the need to reduce the squad, the club’s management began concrete steps regarding the departure of several players.
It is known that after the crisis in the first half of last season, a decision was made to rejuvenate and restructure the squad. This process effectively began in the winter transfer window with the signing of Abduqodir Husonov.
During the last two transfer windows, the club also added several talented players, including Vitor Reis, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Marcus Bettinelli, Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Sverre Nypan, and James Trafford.
According to experts, City now has an overload of players in the central defense position. In modern football, central defenders are rarely rotated unless absolutely necessary.
At the start of the new season, Guardiola had John Stones, Ruben Dias, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Abduqodir Husonov, and Vitor Reis at his disposal. However, now some of them are gradually being moved out of the squad. The first was Vitor Reis, who was loaned to Girona.
Currently, there are also buyers for other defenders. Notably, experienced Manuel Akanji may continue his career in Turkey’s champion club Galatasaray. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Istanbul side has offered £15 million for the 30-year-old Swiss defender, and the deal is close to completion.
At the same time, Everton’s management also wants to continue cooperation with City. The Merseyside club recently took Jack Grealish on loan, and now head coach David Moyes is interested in strengthening his defense with the transfer of Nathan Ake.
Everton has faced serious defensive issues due to injuries to Jarrad Branthwaite and Vitaliy Mykolenko. That’s why the club is seriously considering bringing in Ake and plans to sign him at least on loan.
Thus, if Akanji and Ake leave, Guardiola will have only four central defenders left — Ruben Dias, John Stones, Josko Gvardiol, and Abduqodir Husonov. Considering City’s participation in the Premier League, the Champions League, and national cups, this situation could provide Husonov with more playing time.
For fans, the most intriguing question is how these squad changes will affect the club’s results in the new season. The answer will be seen very soon.
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