Manchester City players celebrate winning the Premier League
Manchester City players celebrate winning the Premier League
When Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City in 2016, he inherited an ageing squad with very little squad depth. The summer after his trophyless first season, he spent more than £250million on new arrivals in a complete rebuild of the squad.
He let fan favourites like Joe Hart and Yaya Toure leave in favour of a title-winning team for the future. With Guardiola extending his time with City, he faces a similar challenge with many of his now trophy-laden squad reaching the twilight years of their careers. So, when do City start to plan for a future without Pep and his ageing Galacticos?
The summer of 2023 saw City win their first Champions League title in a treble-winning season to remember. Although, it also saw a major exodus of some of City’s biggest names.
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Players that had major roles in the success such as Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte and Ilkay Gundogan left for new pastures, although Gundogan has since returned. He has struggled this season, as has fellow veteran Kyle Walker, while Kevin De Bruyne has suffered with injury.
Perhaps the clearest indicator of age playing a factor in form was when Timo Werner outpaced Walker to assist Spurs’ fourth goal. While Werner had only been on the pitch for four minutes and Walker had been there for 94, it was a stark sight.
With De Bruyne now 33 and Gundogan 34, City’s biggest concern for the future is their midfield. City have long relied on De Bruyne and Gundogan’s playmaking abilities to produce goals and win matches.
But with both of their contracts due to expire at the end of the season, City’s next big question surrounds the midfield pair. In their many title-winning seasons, City's deadly offensive style has been built around De Bruyne.
Whether he extends beyond this summer or not, his time at the top will inevitably come to an end soon. For City to prepare for a future without him or his manager, they need to lay the groundwork now.