2 days before Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Old Trafford, Pep Guardiola made his first appearance as Manchester City manager. He’s wasted no time at the Etihad Stadium, already appointing Mikel Arteta on his coaching team and taking his staff out for dinner. Ilkay Gundogan, Nolito and Oleksandr Zinchenko have already been signed by the Spaniard, but some players will be likely to depart. Here we look at five who could be set to leave this summer.
Yaya Touré
As soon as Guardiola was announced as the manager of Manchester City, all eyes were on Yaya Touré. Touré was sold by the Spaniard to City whilst at Barcelona, and now that he’s 6 years older, it looks even more unlikely that Guardiola will want to keep him. His lethargic omnipotence was plain for all to see last season and he looks past his best.
Aleksandar Kolarov
Now aged 30, the Serbian left back could find his place for the Citizens in jeopardy. His pace is not what it was and he found himself amongst the substitutes more often than he did on the field last season. A man who doesn’t seem to have much of a sense of humour, here’s him wishing Happy Christmas to the fans.
Jesus Navas
Navas was possibly Pellegrini’s most disappointing signing whilst in charge at the Etihad. The Spanish winger has been disappointing and it’s hard to remember him having an impressive game for the Citizens. He’s another player on the wrong side of 30 and could be told to make way if Guardiola finds a talented youngster in City’s academy.
Wilfried Bony
Bony’s move from Swansea really hasn’t worked out at all. He played second fiddle to Sergio Aguero and it’s a mystery as to why they got rid of Edin Dzeko and got Bony in instead. The Ivorian had a fantastic record at Swansea however, and he won’t be short of offers if he’s shown the door. An obstacle could be the transfer fee if City try to recoup what they paid for him.
Samir Nasri
Many thought that Arjen Robben would have been on his way out of Bayern when Guardiola arrived. The thinking was that his passing wouldn’t be up to Pep’s standards, but Robben stayed. The same criticism can be thrown at Nasri, as well as his selfish and disruptive attitude and influence in the squad. Will Guardiola be prepared to deal with him?
