Manchester City heads into the summer transfer window planning to rebuild an aging squad, following Kevin De Bruyne’s final home game and anticipated departures of other senior players.
In Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth, several young talents—Abdukodir Khusanov, Savinho, James McAtee, Claudio Echeverri, and Rico Lewis—missed out on the 20-player matchday squad, highlighting Guardiola’s preference for a smaller, tightly knit group.
Despite a season plagued by injuries, including the long absence of Rodri, Guardiola is firm on not expanding the squad too much. He said, “I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer… I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay.” He prefers relying on academy players to cover injury gaps rather than carrying a large roster of fringe players.
City’s January signings, including Echeverri, Khusanov, and Marmoush, were a response to injury crises, but Guardiola stressed that a bloated squad isn’t sustainable emotionally or tactically for the club. The current first-team squad stands at 28 players, with a 25-man Premier League limit (plus U21 exceptions).
The future of Jack Grealish remains uncertain. The England international, once pivotal to City’s 2023 treble, has struggled for minutes this season and could move on this summer. Guardiola noted discussions with club directors and agents are ongoing but no decisions have been made yet.
Fans have mixed opinions on who should leave, with suggestions to refresh the squad by moving on older or underperforming players like Grealish, Gundogan, and Bernardo Silva to make way for new talent.
Source: Swifteradio.com
