Pep Guardiola warns he will swing the axe to trim Man City squad with 17 stars' futures in doubt
PEP GUARDIOLA has warned he will have to swing the axe to trim his Manchester City squad.
England trio Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips were left at home when City boss Guardiola named a 27-man squad for the Club World Cup.
3
3
3
And midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is the latest star to be linked with a move away from the Etihad with Galatasaray interested and Guardiola is keen to work with a smaller group of players.
Guardiola said: 'With Ilkay, no news is good news. I don't know anything and I didn't speak with him.
'But at the same time we have — right now — a long squad, too many players. We cannot go with 26, 27 players this season because there would be more not playing.
'Step by step maybe a few players are going to move.'
Guardiola says his squad is currently too large - despite the demands of competing for the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
The Etihad chief has brought in seven new faces during the calendar year ... and now has more than THIRTY outfield men.
So several will either be sent out on loan or sold before the transfer window closes at the end of August.
Guardiola admits it will be agonising to show the door to some players he would rather keep with him - but feels he must be fair to those who would rarely feature.
The Spaniard, 54, added: 'I would love to have the players that we have now all season. I would love it.
'I don't have any complaints about the players, how they behave.
Kyle Walker seals Everton deal & Grealish to Napoli, Newcastle & Spurs STILL ON | Transfers Exposed
'The problem is they will be unhappy during the season.
'They will be sad, they will be disappointed. I don't want that.
'For me it's not a problem. I have more selection and I don't like six, seven players, just in case, no injuries, being at home.
'So I do it that way. I do that for them. That's why we have to see what happens. We still have a long time, I would say, until the transfer window will be closed. We'll see what happens step by step.'
Promising midfielder James McAtee, 22, is likely to leave after deciding to go to the Euros with England Under-21s rather than join City in the USA.
There is a question mark over the future of Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, although he is out injured for the next couple of months.
Who stays and who goes at Man City?
AFTER a disappointing 2024-25 season, Pep Guardiola is overhauling his Manchester City squad. SunSport's MARTIN BLACKBURN analyses the state of play at the Etihad . . .
INS
Newcomers Tijjani Reijnders from Milan, Rayan Cherki from Lyon, Wolves' Rayan Ait-Nouri and former Chelsea goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli bolster the squad.
The likes of Stefan Ortega, Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Omar Marmoush, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and a fit-again Rodri are staying as they bid to improve on last year's below-par campaign.
OUTS
Loyal servant Kyle Walker, 35, looks to have kicked his last ball for City.
Jack Grealish is also on the move from the Etihad, with Napoli the frontrunners for the wideman — who cost Pep's side £100million in 2021.
Kalvin Phillips, James McAtee and Maximo Perrone are also heading for the exit door.
MAYBES
The futures of keeper Ederson, John Stones, Rico Lewis, Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov, Nico O'Reilly, Mateo Kovacic, Ilkay Gundogan, Nico Gonzalez, Matheus Nunes, Claudio Echeverri and Oscar Bobb are not yet set in stone.
Most will be kept but some will go — either permanently or on loan — to free up space in the squad.
Defender John Stones had a disastrous season — missing 34 games due to injuries — and is heading into the final year of his contract.
He has been linked with a return to his old club Everton - and a sizeable offer may tempt City to cash in.
But the 31-year-old is determined to see out the next 12 months and complete a decade at the Etihad rather than look for a new challenge.
Asked if he has heard anything from the club about a new deal, Stones said: 'Nothing really, But I'm here and I want to stay here.
'I love it. I'm here to help the team. I don't know what's been said or speculated, but I hope that shuts it down.'
Yenan Yildiz struck twice as City's final Group G opponents Juventus beat Moroccan side Wydad Casablanca 4-1 at the Club World Cup.
Striker Yildiz had earlier forced defender Abdelmounaim Boutouil to turn the ball into his own net for the opener, while Dusan Vlahovic's penalty wrapped up the Italian giants' win.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
15 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Ilkay Gundogan ‘very happy' at Manchester City as he eyes stay at top level
Ilkay Gundogan insists he is happy to remain at Manchester City and has 'several years' left at the highest level. The veteran German midfielder gave a reminder of his class with two goals – albeit with one involving a stroke of luck – as City thrashed Abu Dhabi side Al Ain 6-0 to reach the last 16 of the Club World Cup. It came amid reports linking the 34-year-old, who rejoined City last summer after a one-year spell at Barcelona, with a move to Galatasaray. Afterwards Gundogan did not categorically dismiss suggestions he could leave, but made clear his belief that he feels he could still play an important role for Pep Guardiola's side. Asked if he thought he would be staying, Gundogan said: 'I think so, yes. I have a one-year contract and I'm very happy here. I think everyone knows that. 'And I am committed to the competition, and I'm enjoying my football. I still believe that I have several years in me (of being able) to play on the highest level by taking good care of myself. I think I've proven that. 'Also in last season I didn't miss a game, so I'm available. I'm fit. I feel really good and I want to play on the highest level for much longer.' City's emphatic victory under the roof at Atlanta's spectacular Mercedes-Benz Stadium ensured their place in the last 16, but it was not enough to take them above Juventus to the top of Group G. The two teams are level on points and goal difference, but the Italians have an edge on goals scored heading into Thursday's head to head in Orlando. City will now need to win the game to secure top spot and avoid a clash with the winners of Real Madrid's group in the second round. Gundogan said City will quickly need to put the frustration of not scoring a seventh goal aside. He said: 'That at least would have given us a chance to get two results instead of just one, so that would be a higher probability at the end. 'But somehow it doesn't matter. We need a good performance against Juve to win the game. We always knew that and it's not going to change the way we approach it.' Gundogan opened the scoring for City when he lobbed Al Ain goalkeeper Khalid Eisa after eight minutes with what seemed like a cross. Teenager Claudio Echeverri doubled the lead from a free-kick and Erling Haaland added a penalty before the break. A defining day in Group G, but all to play for in Group H. 🤯 #FIFACWC — FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 23, 2025 Gundogan made it 4-0 on 73 minutes before late strikes from substitutes Oscar Bobb and Rayan Cherki. Josko Gvardiol hit the post and Phil Foden spurned a good chance late on, but Gundogan felt City were too sluggish early in the second half. He said: 'It's something that should have not happened. We definitely need to do better because on the highest level you should not allow yourself to be not that good for such a long time in the game. 'It felt quite long, to be honest, in terms of the standards that we have.'
The Sun
20 minutes ago
- The Sun
Tom Aspinall fires not so subtle dig at Jon Jones after UFC legend retires and walks from multi-million-pound fight
BRIT Tom Aspinall has vowed to restore order to the UFC's heavyweight division after becoming undisputed champion without even throwing a punch. The Wigan warrior, 32, was elevated from interim titleholder last Sunday after Jon Jones walked away from their multi-million-pound unification bout at Madison Square Garden in November. 4 4 MMA legend Jones, 37, has retired from the sport after holding the division hostage for nearly two years and Aspinall has vowed to get it moving again as quickly as possible. He said: "I am going to keep this thing as active as possible. "I want to be the best heavyweight to ever walk the face of the Earth. "I'm gonna defend this thing as many times as I possibly can and I'm gonna keep you guys entertained. "I'm going to give back to everybody who has shown me support over the last year, over the last five years and over the last ten years. "We're gonna see an active defending UFC heavyweight undisputed champion going forward." Controversial American Jones, who was last week charged with fleeing the scene of an accident, retires as the youngest champion in UFC history and the greatest fighter in the history of the sport. But Aspinall insists his legacy won't in any way be tarnished by his 'dream' fight with the former pound-for-pound king falling through. JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 4 He told SunSport: "Ultimately, I want to be the heavyweight champion of the world. It doesn't really matter about Jon Jones. "It'd be nice, it'd be a lovely cherry on the cake to have the scalp and get that experience. I'm a massive Jon Jones fan, first and foremost. Dana White confirms Jon Jones has retired from UFC with Tom Aspinall the new heavyweight champion "It would just be awesome to experience that with Jon. But as Jon said, Jon said, 'Don't let me hold you back.' 'And when he said that, he came out and said that in an interview, I thought, 'You know what, he's right.' I'm not letting Jon hold me back." Jones' retirement was followed by news that he was charged with FLEEING THE SCENE OF AN ACCIDENT, which caused no great bodily harm or death, on June 17. A police report from the accident, which took place in New Mexico on February 27, states that a woman was found in the front passenger seat of one of the cars involved in the incident. The woman, who according to the report was 'exhibiting signs of significant intoxication and lacking clothing from the waist down" claims that Jones was driver of the car and fled the crash on foot. She admitted to taking mushrooms and drinking alcohol at the residence of Jones, who, when interviewed by police a few days later, claimed that she drove away from his house by herself while intoxicated.
BBC News
22 minutes ago
- BBC News
Man City 6-0 Al Ain - send us your thoughts
What did you make of Man City's display and what are the talking points?Come back to this page later for your replies.
