Pep Guardiola and Man City have not got many things wrong in recent years.
The partnership has brought the Manchester club great success, but that came to a halt this season as City went from winning four Premier League titles in a row to needing to secure Champions League football on the final day of the season.
A big reason for this was Man City failing to refresh their squad last summer, but that mistake will not be made this year, as Guardiola wants four or five new faces at the Etihad Stadium.
The Premier League giants rarely make a mistake in the transfer window, but one that simply hasn’t worked out is Jack Grealish, a player Jermaine Pennant thinks Guardiola has been using wrong for years.
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Jermaine Pennant thinks Jack Grealish is not a winger
The signing of Grealish has not worked out for Man City since bringing the Englishman to Manchester in 2021 as part of a £100m deal with Aston Villa.
More Man City News
TalkSPORT pundit Jermaine Pennant thinks the reason for this is Guardiola’s use of the 29-year-old, with the former Liverpool star believing Grealish is more of a central player than a winger.
“Jack’s not a bad player. He’s not, all of a sudden, overnight, gone to be an average player. He is a world-class player,” Pennant said on talkSPORT. “He’s a brilliant player and, you know, we saw what he did at Aston Villa when he was free. Be able to get that ball and run at players in the middle of the park.
“With City, they put him on the left. He’s not a left-winger. You give him the eight or the number 10. A kind of slot and role, like a Phil Foden, if you give him that job, that’s where he likes to be, that’s getting on the ball, but you know, plonking him out on the left, that’s not his true position.
“I think he just needs to find that Jack again. And you know, we’ll see a great player in there.”
Grealish looks set to leave Manchester this summer, with AC Milan being one of the favourites to sign the Man City star.
Man City fans have called for Guardiola to use Grealish in the number 10 role, but it is something the legendary coach has not been very keen on.
It remains unclear what has happened between the Man City boss and the 29-year-old, with Pennant insisting it has not been down to the winger’s partying through the years.
Jack Grealish’s partying did not affect his Man City career
Grealish is known to be one of the nicest players in English football, however, the Man City star also has the reputation of being a bit of a party boy, as the 29-year-old was spotted enjoying himself a bit too much after the Manchester club won the Treble in 2023.
Pennant has defended the City winger when this was brought up as a potential reason for the player falling out of favour with Guardiola, with the pundit insisting that his struggles have been down to his performances on the field, as the Englishman has not stepped up when called upon.
Season Games Goals Assists Minutes
24/25 32 3 5 1521
23/24 36 3 3 2114
22/23 50 5 11 3487
21/22 39 6 4 2730
Jack Grealish’s career at Man City
Grealish was entitled to enjoy the success he experienced that season, and it is not like the 29-year-old has been partying nonstop since he arrived at the Etihad Stadium.
The winger simply has not been good enough consistently, and at a club like Man City, that is a necessity for a player to keep his place in Guardiola’s team.