Guardiola Hints at Summer Sales to Trim Man City Squad
MANCHESTER City coach Pep Guardiola said Saturday his club will have to sell players this summer for the stars' own good.
The Premier League side brought in several players ahead of the Club World Cup, leaving Guardiola with a large squad.
Midfielder Ilkay Gundogan has been linked with a move to Turkish side Galatasaray in recent days.
Guardiola said he did not know anything about it, but said several players would have to be sold following the purchases of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Cherki and Rayan Ait-Nouri.
'I will love to have the players we have right now all season,' Guardiola told reporters in Atlanta.
'The problem is they will be unhappy during the season, they will be sad, they will be disappointed.
'I don't want that. I do it for them, not for me. For them. We have to see what happens, it's a long time until the transfer window will be closed, we have to see step by step.'
Guardiola has said in the past he prefers a squad size of around 20 senior players, whereas City have more than 30 at present.
Before trimming the squad City are hoping to win the Club World Cup in the United States with their new arrivals providing fresh energy.
They beat Wydad AC in their first match and face Al Ain on Sunday at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium where they can seal qualification to the last 16.
Guardiola said Spanish defensive midfielder Rodri was not able to start the game as he continues his comeback from injury.
'He's getting better. He can play 20 minutes, 30 minutes at a time. He wants to play to help but we want to protect his knee,' said the coach.
'Privilege'
Guardiola said he was keen to take City far in the Club World Cup and it was a 'privilege to be here'.
The coach dismissed some of the complaints about the competition and pointed towards the attitude of the South American clubs as an example of follow.
'I love when I see Botafogo, all the Brazilian teams, Argentinian teams, how they celebrate, how they are together, I love them,' said Guardiola.
'I'm pretty sure for the South American teams, for the Brazilian teams, for Argentinean teams, this competition is maybe the maximum...
'I like how all the games are tight, except one or two, and people are surprised, European teams lose. Welcome to the real world. Welcome to the real world my friends.'
Guardiola said Brazilian sides would have a 'carnival for one week' if they won the tournament.
After Manchester City failed to win a trophy apart from the Community Shield, it would provide a boost heading into the new season.
Guardiola said his team and staff, both featuring new arrivals, were enjoying spending time with each other and their facilities in Florida.
'It's a privilege to be here... to be back in four years time you have to win big, big, prizes,' said Guardiola.
'Once we are here why should not we fight to stay longer and longer and longer...
'We can say it's annoying to come here (but) I want to arrive to the last stages, and that's the truth.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
5 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Winning Club World Cup would not make up for City's disappointing season, says Guardiola
LONDON: Winning the Club World Cup title again would not make up for the disappointing 2024-25 season that Manchester City have had, manager Pep Guardiola said ahead of today's Group G clash with Emirati side Al-Ain in Atlanta. Guardiola's City fell short of winning the Premier League for the fifth time in a row, finishing third in the English top-flight. They also failed to reach the Champions League's round of 16, being eliminated by Real Madrid in the knockout phase playoffs. "I said many times, the season was not good," Guardiola told reporters on Saturday. "Winning this competition is not going to change that, but my mindset at the moment is not about winning the competition. We can extend our time here, being here longer." Guardiola, who has won the Club World Cup four times as manager, guided City to their first world title in 2023, before the tournament was revamped as a 32-team competition to be held once every four years. City, who beat Morocco's Wydad Casablanca 2-0 in their campaign opener, have a chance to qualify for the round of 16 with a win over Al-Ain, who suffered a 5-0 loss to Juventus in their first game.
Malay Mail
6 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Guardiola admits not even Club World Cup glory can save City's disappointing season
PHILADELPHIA, June 22 — Winning the Club World Cup title again would not make up for the disappointing 2024-25 season that Manchester City have had, manager Pep Guardiola said ahead of today's Group G clash with Emirati side Al-Ain in Atlanta. Guardiola's City fell short of winning the Premier League for the fifth time in a row, finishing third in the English top-flight. They also failed to reach the Champions League's round of 16, being eliminated by Real Madrid in the knockout phase playoffs. 'I said many times, the season was not good,' Guardiola told reporters on Saturday. 'Winning this competition is not going to change that, but my mindset at the moment is not about winning the competition. We can extend our time here, being here longer.' Guardiola, who has won the Club World Cup four times as manager, guided City to their first world title in 2023, before the tournament was revamped as a 32-team competition to be held once every four years. City, who beat Morocco's Wydad Casablanca 2-0 in their campaign opener, have a chance to qualify for the round of 16 with a win over Al-Ain, who suffered a 5-0 loss to Juventus in their first game. 'Now we're here, I want to do the best. I want to enjoy the moment here because you're here one time every four years... And I want to arrive in the latter stages,' Guardiola added. — Reuters
New Straits Times
6 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Bellingham's goal a surreal experience for new Dortmund signing
CINCINNATI: Jobe Bellingham said his first goal for Borussia Dortmund was a surreal experience as the new signing from Sunderland made an immediate impact at the Club World Cup on Saturday. Bellingham scored the third goal in Dortmund's 4-3 win over South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns at the TQL Stadium and was named man-of-the-match at the end of the Group F encounter. "It's a little bit surreal really when the ball hits in the net, it's just crazy," the 19-year-old said. "Everything happened so slowly but yeah I'm really pleased." It was a second run out, but first start, for Bellingham since his move from Sunderland to the Bundesliga giants, where he will look to follow in his elder brother Jude's footsteps. Jobe's goal was smartly taken although the Sundowns goalkeeper palmed the ball straight at him. But Bellingham avoided an attempted block by a defender, and sent the keeper the wrong way, by cleverly holding his shot for a split second. Bellingham said it had been a hard assignment in the midday sun in Ohio, where the temperature was 32 degrees Celsius (90°F). "I think the conditions make it so difficult, especially for us being a European team. They (Sundowns) played a fantastic game but I'm sure they're used to this kind of weather, but we definitely aren't. "But it's something we are going to have to adapt to as the tournament goes on." Bellingham said he was happy to be playing so soon after signing a five-year deal for what reports said was a 33 million euros ($37.70 million) deal. "The lads have really helped me settle in and it's been a different experience because rather than signing and then having a summer off, I've got an opportunity to meet everyone and get to grips with how we play and how the coach wants us to play as a team." Coach Niko Kovac said he was delighted with the form of Bellingham.
