A little later on, as soon as is possible, I’ll look at positions in the squad that I believe need strengthening ahead of our next campaign and, within that same piece, I’m going to look at possible incoming players; largely those I believe to be realistic, credible rumours / links rather than wild speculation.
I may also throw in a suggestion / ‘wish list’ player or two.
But, in the meantime, here’s a list of players I believe are either definitely leaving or may well do if either party believes that the time is right and / or the circumstance suits.
Goalkeepers
Zack Steffen, simply put, Zack stated in March that he has no intention of returning to Manchester City once his current loan spell was up at Middlesbrough in May 2023. Of course, with him-being contracted to us until June 2025, there’s a chance that the American international could be loaned out once again but I can well imagine the 28-year-old being put up for sale.
Chance of departure: 10/10
Opinion? He appeared to be a very promising signing at first but a few confidence-damaging incidents / wobbly games saw his standing soon slide away and, if memory serves, his early life in the North East of England didn’t start off too well either. I believe he’s now settled in well under new manager, Michael Carrick, but he’s not for us…not now.
Defenders
I was given information towards the back end of 2022 that Aymeric Laporte would be leaving us in the January 2023 transfer window and I watched with a certain amount of trepidation to see if that happened. It didn’t. That lack of transfer movement in winter may well have been down to other central defenders at our club ‘flitting in & out’ of the treatment room around the same time and as things began to settle down a little in that department; in March 2023 out came the rumour online that the French born, Spanish international was-indeed to move on in the summer. Since then, I’ve heard nothing to the contrary and so I’m putting both previous source & fairly recent rumour together and coming up with a very likely exit. I think it was quite telling also that Aymeric was sat on the Etihad Stadium grass and feeling very emotional, as his colleagues danced around the pitch in celebration at-winning the league. It was our last home game – departing tears?
Chance of departure: 9.5/10
Opinion? I think he’s a very good defender indeed and one of those players who just gets his head down and gets on with things. He didn’t even let his dispute with the French national team Manager affect him, club wise, as far as I could tell and can recall. However, he’s one of 4 central defenders (from 5) that we have with an injury-prone record and at just-turned 29 years of age in May-just-gone; I can see it making sense for us to move one of the more senior, slightly fragile defenders on. I can see him either France or Spain-bound, for what it’s worth.
Benjamin Mendy’s contract is up in the summer and if news ever came out that he was to be offered a new one, I hope to be sitting down at the time.
Chance of departure: 10/10
Opinion? Goodbye.
Joao Cancelo made his bed, lay in it and didn’t find it quite as comfortable as he-perhaps thought it might be. It wasn’t just Pep who saw ‘head issues’ with the otherwise, can-be-excellent-when-he-wants-to-be, player – there appears to be a gathering-collection of managers, both domestic and international, who see a problem with the Portuguese wing-back.
I’m certainly not putting myself in the same company as those brilliant managers but I’ll never forget, not long after we sign and then started to play him, how sullen he often looked when playing. In fact, I simply can’t forget one particular match early on in his City career away at Sheffield United when he was handed his chance and looked like he’d been asked to clean the dressing room afterwards; toilets ‘n’ all. Odd fella and I think bridges have now been burnt.
Chance of departure: 10/10
Opinion? It’s a shame in some ways because not only would him-staying help ease a problem area for us, as he largely adapted very well to the left wing-back position, but when he was focused and could be bothered, he was almost unplayable at times in that inverted wing-back position. However, we should be able to command a decent transfer fee for him in the summer and that’ll help with our recruiting.
In one, pre-match blog-posting quite a few months ago now, I posed a question wondering whether we’d ever see Sergio Gomez in a Manchester City shirt ever again. Well, it took a few months following that piece for him to make another appearance and that was with-just 7 minutes remaining of ‘the 90’ when we were 0-3 up at Championship side, Bristol City, in the 5th round of the F.A. Cup. He’s made a few appearances since then too…but not many.
I think the signing was a nice idea that had some promise of working…but it’s just been a failed experiment really. I think the only question that remains is whether he’ll be loaned out or sold in the summer. I can actually very easily see him being reunited with his previous manager by joining newly-promoted Burnley.
Chance of departure: 10/10
Opinion? Yep – we need far better competition at left-wing back; we STILL need a specialist in that position to compete / rotate with Nathan Ake; someone who can defend as well as support the attacking play.
A footnote at this point: If Pep brings in two pacy wing-backs in the summer (he has admitted that our side lacks a little pace in some areas), one for each side of course; I think we might see him drop this ‘3 at the back’ / inverted wing-back system in favour of bombing, overlapping wing-backs. At the very least, that would give him the option of using both systems. As for the right-hand-side, Kyle might be used / prefer that 'flying up & down' the flank fing and we shall see in time, of course…
Midfielders / Wingers
Once the 2022 summer transfer window closed and we still had hold of Bernardo Silva, I couldn’t shake the season-long feeling that a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ had been put in place; a ‘shake of the hands’ that would see us honour a promise to let the Portuguese international speak to his next, desired club. Sometimes, even if a player is content with his employer, an urge to face a new challenge – especially one in warmer climes – can become too big to ignore.
Chance of departure: 8/10
Opinion? I’d be gutted if this happens but he would most certainly leave with a massive thank you from me and, I’m sure, every other City fan. And although this is for an article soon to be released; with David Silva having left in the summer of 2020, with another player that I’ve yet to mention possibly set to leave in the summer also and with Kevin De Bruyne turning 32 in June; losing Bernardo Silva as well would leave a massive, attacking-creative hole in the middle; one that desperately needs filling with similar quality AND attitude / application.
Speaking of the player that I was soon to mention; for a long time I was going to say that I think it looks quite likely that we’ll be saying farewell to Ilkay Gundogan. Similar to Bernardo Silva; I just got the feeling that a conversation was had in the summer of 2022, where it was mutually agreed to let his contract run out so that he can finish his footballing career in an area of the world with longer-warmer seasons…and who could blame him?
However, I thought about and wrote / prepped a lot of this piece during the World Cup break and since then, whenever Ilkay’s name was brought up in a pre-match press conference by one of the reporters, it was blatantly obvious that Pep is a HUGE admirer of the 32-year-old German international and I think he might secretly be using all of his persuasive powers behind the scenes to convince the versatile midfielder to stay at least one more season. Should he decide to leave, they’ll be no shortage of takers and one or two admirers, both in England as well as further afield in Europe, have already made their interests know.
Chance of departure: 5/10
Opinion? Out of contract and turning 33 in October, I could see why some fans would think that the time might be right to part company and refresh our midfield with ‘younger blood’. He’s been a very useful member of the squad to say the very least and, on a number of occasions, a crucial one who contributed so much at key moments, in key games and at key times of the season. A very good, versatile player, as I say, whose departure would leave another hole in our midfield department. I think he still has legs in him if managed right, as Pep does, and most certainly has the experience needed if we ARE to refresh the squad – and midfield in particular - in the summer; a player who would be worth his weight in gold as fresh, younger faces acclimatise to their new surroundings and different standards / playing styles.
It was nice seeing Kalvin Phillips pass through our club on the way from Leeds to wherever he’s heading off to next, wasn’t it? Oh deary me.
Do you know what, when we first signed him there was a red in my local who admitted to being a bit gutted because he wanted to see the England international midfielder wearing the red of Trafford rather than the blue of Manchester. This was on the back of pundit and media hype following some impressive displays for his country and his departure also left most, if not all, Leeds United fans somewhat heartbroken. It was all sounding like a really good signing - the baton was being handed over by the departing Fernandinho and Rodri would have some young, fresh legs to rotate with so that he could get occasional respite.
Then the Leeds-born man dislocated his shoulder; then there was a delay in-deciding whether surgery would be needed, which it was, and there was-then a race on to get him fit for the World Cup. After all of that, he-apparently came back from international duty out of condition but as the months passed, STILL Kalvin rarely made it further than running up & down the side-lines to keep warm during games. Was there something else wrong? Did Pep not get from Kalvin what he wanted to see in training? Does Kalvin simply not suit us / our system?
Towards the end of March, there was an article published online, which suggested that Manchester City had no plans to sell Kalvin in the summer but that the player would be prepared to leave amid fears of limited gametime. From the manager & club’s perspective, I can’t help feeling that there’s something other than concerns over a once-loose shoulder socket or fitness levels / body fat percentage and along with in-season rumours about potential suitors, which included West Ham United; I think there’s a reasonable chance of “hello & goodbye” in one, fleeting season.
In fact, when asked in a pre-match press conference late April / early May about Kalvin’s future and whether he felt that the England man had within him what was required to succeed at the club, his manager couldn’t have looked less convinced if he’d tried; as he stumbled to find reassuring words. It was like a big ‘gulp-sounding moment’ that left me feeling even more convinced that we’d be seeing his departure in the summer.
Since then and in order to cover resting players, we’ve seen a little more of 5’ 10” midfielder. However, I’m not sure it’s enough and there are a number of players who could well be eying the Rodri cover / rotation role, such as Maximo Perrone, Shea Charles and, if rumours from a few months back are to be believed (later deemed quite unlikely), a possible-returning Romeo Lavia; with whom we had a first-choice, buy-back clause when we sold him to now-relegated Southampton. I’ve got a feeling that with legs getting older, Kevin De Bruyne might fancy dropping deeper at some point…and then there’s Ilkay Gundogan too, of course, should he stay.
Chance of departure: 7/10
Opinion? If it doesn’t fit then it doesn’t fit. I just haven’t seen nearly enough of him in a City shirt to make any more of a comment than that.
I believe this next one is highly dependent on whether City are lining up a replacement and may only suggest to the player that he can leave once they are 100% certain they have their new man. After signing a new, 2-year contract extension to his existing 1-year contract in the summer of 2022, Riyad Mahrez had an AWFUL start to the season and it was a bad run that looked like it had no end. It was weird too because…as Riyad was producing stinker after stinker of performances, the team was enjoying a good start to the season; with 7 wins and 2 draws from the first 9 league games.
It got so bad, in fact, that his manager eventually told a room full of journalist, in one pre-match press conference, that, similar to Kalvin, he was not happy with the Algerian’s fitness levels. Not long after this, Pep started to share his concerns also about a wrong attitude within the camp and on the training pitch and I just wonder whether this also comes into play when we’re talking about both Kalvin & Riyad; along with some others I could mention.
Then…BOOM! Riyad shook off whatever it was and he was firing once more. Well, at least it lasted a good 7 or 8 games, from memory, before he found himself largely on the bench again and that was before Phil Foden’s season properly started around March time. Then…BOOM again! F.A. Cup semi-final against Championship side Sheffield United and a hat-trick, man of the match performance from the Algerian winger. This is all SO Riyad Mahrez like and, for me, it’s all about what up there in his noggin. Sure enough, towards the end of the season - and most definitely after the league had been won - Riyad’s performances dipped once more.
Chance of departure: 5/10
Opinion? I’ve made no secret – and not just this season – about what I think of the player. When he’s good, he’s almost unplayable! And, of course, even the best players have off games and even periods within a season when their levels drop – just look at Kevin De Bruyne as an example of that. But…jeeeze this fella is SO up & down and with other teams sure to be strengthening once more and trying even harder to knock us off our high perch; I think we need better, younger and someone more-consistently good down the right-wing now. I’d be happy to see us cash in on him this summer.
Others that made the ‘departure list’ but were then removed:
I did have Scott Carson on here; thinking that, should he ‘hang up his playing gloves’, he might stay on in a coaching role, at least. However, in May he signed a 1-year playing extension contract just as he did this time last year.
I also had Kyle Walker on it too during that period where he first lost his place and then not long afterwards had his manager questioning his versatility ‘skill set’…and, I believe, attitude to a degree too; another player who can be a little ‘up & down’ and sometimes-also not far away from controversy in his personal life.
However, not long after that verbal bucket of cold water, the Kyle we know CAN play started to do so once more, so I think we’ll see him stay for another season. Whether that will be his last at City is likely to be up to the player himself, as his current manager believes that the England international will still be able to run fast into his 70s…
Of course, we’ll see some EDS lads being loaned out and maybe even some first-team fringe players too but I’m not going to cover those in this piece at least.
As for the main, first team players, I think that’ll be it for departure possibilities. With us having just gone through a season with the smallest ever squad under Guardiola, I think it’s strengthening / adding we need to be concentrating on more, in my opinion.
In more recent news - and as a little add-on just before releasing this piece - it's being suggested by one source this morning that James McAtee will be included in next season's first-team plans. That same source also states that they understand that Cole Palmer will, at the same time, be offered out on loan next season in order to become more hardened to first-team football.
Thank you, as ever, for taking the time to ‘click on’ and then read such a long posting.
