Manchester City sporting director Hugo Viana has lifted the lid on the triple departure of Rodri, Bernardo Silva and John Stones this summer, which threatened to damage Enzo Maresca’s first season as manager.
Manchester City's major midfield revamp began with the summer acquisition of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.
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Following extensive and hugely successful periods at City, this past summer wasn’t just the time to say goodbye to Pep Guardiola, but also to the trio of Rodri, Silva and Stones, who joined Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan respectively.
What was brewing to be a troublesome season, with an initial inability to sign adequate replacements during the summer transfer window, turned into one of the greatest turnaround of business the club has ever seen.
Not only did Viana bring Elliot Anderson to the Etihad Stadium for £116 million from Nottingham Forest, but he later added Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea for £125 million, Ayyoub Bouaddi for £86 million, and Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye for £65 million to the squad.
You Can’t Replace Stones and Silva, It’s Impossible - Viana
Stones and Silva managed to accumulate 754 combined appearances for City across nearly 20 years of experience in east Manchester between them, starting their final game in Guardiola’s farewell match against Aston Villa last season.
On what was an emotional day came the gift and abundance of memories that both players brought to the club and will inevitably take into the future with them, which is partially why they didn’t want to join another Premier League side, according to Viana.
Rodri has shed some light on his emotional departure from Manchester City, admitting he always believed he would end his career at the Etihad Stadium before a “change of cycle” convinced him to join Barcelona.cityxtra.co.ukI Always Thought I Would End My Career at Man City, Says Rodri After Barcelona Move
Rodri has shed some light on his emotional departure from Manchester City, admitting he always believed he would end his career at the Etihad Stadium before a “change of cycle” convinced him to join Barcelona.
“You cannot replace them. It’s impossible. Inside the pitch and outside. They were really important for the club, really important in the dressing room and day by day,” Viana said in an interview with the Manchester City website.
He added: “They really felt part of the Manchester City family. One interesting point we had during conversations was that both felt they could not stay in the Premier League.
“They had to go abroad because they cannot face Manchester City. That means a lot for me and the club to have that kind of player with that mentality. I feel they’re Manchester City fans for sure.”
Viana: Positive Talks Were Held With Rodri and His Agent After FIFA World Cup
Viana also believes that Rodri is a City fan too, despite his not-so-adorned exit from the club, which, in some quarters, brought out a flurry of dislike to the way in which he exited the club.
Still, in the majority, Rodri is a valued member of the 2023 Treble team and is the reason City won so many trophies under Guardiola during the club’s - and perhaps English football’s - most dominant era.
Speaking to the Manchester City website about the Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder, Viana reflected: “Of course we would’ve liked to keep him. We were having positive conversations with him and his agent. But after the World Cup, we had a really honest conversation, and he was thinking to move and go back [to Spain], and we understood.
“He had brilliant years. Another player we cannot replace because he’s one of the best, if not the best, in that position. But it’s another thing we should be proud of: how we treat that player that gave so much to this club.”