Since Manchester City were taken over in 2008, they’ve not only done extremely well in terms of their first-team and growing the stature of the club, but also their academy.
Manchester City have won four FA Youth Cup trophies in that time, as well as finishing as runners up on five separate occasions, marking themselves as one of the biggest and certainly most attractive academies in that time.
The likes of Phil Foden, Nico O’Reilly, Rico Lewis and James Trafford all came through the ranks, where they currently feature for Pep Guardiola’s first-team side.
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But some severe blunders in terms of their academy sales could mean that Leicester City starlet Jeremy Monga could opt for a move elsewhere due to a lack of first-team opportunities.
Jeremy Monga during Millwall v Leicester City - Sky Bet Championship
Photo by Tom West/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Sources: Manchester City still want to sign Leicester City prodigy Jeremy Monga
TBR Football can reveal that Manchester City are currently leading the race to sign Jeremy Monga over their Premier League rivals.
The Cityzens came close to securing the 16-year-old on a permanent deal last summer, though Monga instead chose to sign his scholarship with Leicester, who he joined in 2017 as an eight-year-old.
It’s proven to be a good decision for Monga. He made seven Premier League appearances last season, becoming the second-youngest Premier League player of all-time behind Ethan Nwaneri.
And that promising talent saw Monga become the youngest goalscorer in Championship history for Leicester when he scored in a 2-1 win over Preston back in August.
But despite staying at the Leicestershire club, City’s interest has persisted. They are thought to be lining up a fresh approach for his talents, and Leicester can’t prevent Monga from leaving as he is not eligible to sign a professional deal until he turns 17 in July.
However, it may be a poisoned chalice for Monga if he does make the move up to Manchester, with those who have failed to burst into Pep Guardiola’s team before him all blossoming away from the Etihad Stadium.
Pep Guardiola during Manchester City's match in the Champions League.
Photo by Molly Darlington/Copa/Getty Images
Manchester City tend to sell their youth wingers and Monga may just be a chess piece in a bigger picture
City’s academy, as aforementioned, is one of the best in the country. But their continued success on the pitch means that it is hard for youngsters – especially attackers – to find their way into the squad.
Phil Foden is a rare example of a player who has burst his way into the team and not looked back, but there are others who have not done so who are now shining in the Premier League.
Cole Palmer is the best example. Born and bred in City’s academy from the age of eight, he made his debut aged 18 and actually featured 38 times for City prior to the summer transfer window in 2023.
But with his minutes limited behind Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Oscar Bobb, Palmer made the choice to leave and join Chelsea.
Player Years spent at Manchester City Manchester City appearances
Cole Palmer 2010-2023 41
Morgan Rogers 2019-2023 0
Jamie Gittens 2018-2020 0
Brahim Diaz 2015-2019 15
Michael Olise 2016-2017 0
Jadon Sancho 2015-2017 0
The Wythenshawe-born star has since notched 38 Premier League goals, won the Premier League Young Player of the Season award and Palmer even scored in the Euro 2024 final. None of that would have been possible at City.
Morgan Rogers is another example. He was at City for four years but didn’t get a look-in, and is now one of Aston Villa’s best players, and also in the England setup. Rogers was praised for his performance vs Tottenham earlier this month.
Jamie Gittens also signed for Chelsea this summer, whilst Brahim Diaz, Michael Olise and Jadon Sancho have all had solid careers in the Bundesliga and La Liga after leaving City – and if Monga joins the one-time treble winners, he could follow suit.
But he is earning sufficient game time at Leicester and that will be doing his development the world of good.