Man City may be heading into the new season with more silverware in their sights but Pep Guardiola is already preparing for a potentially ruthless summer behind the scenes.
The manager has admitted his current group is “too big” to manage across four competitions, with several senior players set to leave either on loan or permanently before the end of August.
Despite a packed fixture list across the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup, Guardiola is concerned about keeping more than 30 players involved, fit and, perhaps most importantly, happy.
“We cannot go with 26, 27 players this season because there would be more not playing,” he said. “Step by step maybe a few players are going to move.”
The Man City boss cut a few eyebrows in the United States when England trio Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips were all left at home for the Club World Cup preparations.
And Ilkay Gundogan has now emerged as the latest player to be linked with a move, with reports in Turkey claiming Galatasaray are circling.
“With Ilkay, no news is good news. I don’t know anything and I didn’t speak with him,” Guardiola said. “But at the same time we have, right now, a long squad, too many players.
“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.
“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.
MORE ON MAN CITY FROM F365…
👉 Club World Cup prize money table revealed: Manchester City on track for maximum payout
👉Liverpool leapfrog Man City and Chelsea in biggest summer spenders
👉 Club World Cup prize money table revealed: Manchester City pay back summer transfer already
“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.”
City have added seven new faces since the turn of the year and now boast more than 30 outfield players. Guardiola has always preferred working with a smaller, tight-knit squad – a philosophy that now seems at odds with the numbers.
One of the first to make way could be promising midfielder James McAtee. The 22-year-old opted to join England Under-21s at the Euros instead of travelling to the USA with the first team, and is now expected to move on before the window shuts.
There are also lingering doubts over Mateo Kovacic’s role in the squad, though injury will keep the Croatian out for the next couple of months.
Then there’s John Stones, who missed 34 games through injury last season and is now into the final year of his contract.
Reports have linked the defender with a return to Everton, with a sizeable offer potentially enough to tempt City into selling.
But the 31-year-old insists he wants to stay and see out what would be a decade at the Etihad.
“Nothing really,” he said when asked if he’d heard anything about a new contract. “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.”