Manchester City
Barcelona announce the signing of Eric Garcia
Finally, the signing of Eric Garcia has been officially announced by Barcelona. The 20-year-old centre-back has been linked to the club for almost a year now. He came very close to signing for his boyhood club last summer before the talks broke down on the deadline day, as well as January of this year. Garcia had spent nine years at the youth level in Barça before moving to Manchester City in 2017. The youngster has been captain of almost all the youth Barça teams he played at. He was also the captain of the U-19 team of Manchester City. After a triumphant spell with Manchester City in England, Garcia will return to Catalonia, securing the Premier League winners medal twice. Manchester City’s manager, Pep Guardiola, rates the young centre-back very highly. When asked about not selecting Ga...
Guardiola reportedly wants to use two Man City attacking stars as bait to land Kane
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola wants to snap up Tottenham Hotspur hitman Harry Kane this summer, and is ready to sacrifice both Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus in a bid to do so, according to The Sun. The England international also wants to move to the Etihad Stadium and has revealed his dream to play alongside Kevin de Bruyne, but Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is ready to play hardball and block a move. He has slapped a £150million price tag on Kane’s head, but Man City are hoping to offset some of that fee by using two of their attackers as bait. Sterling ended the campaign with 15 goals across all competitions while Jesus bagged 14 goals as the Cityzens won the League Cup and Premier League title. Nevertheless, they are not starters under Guardiola and the Catalan is looking to ma...
‘He’ll only join City if…’ – Journo shares Villa star’s wish after Old Trafford U-turn
According to The Athletic’s Sam Lee, Aston Villa attacking midfielder Jack Grealish was considering joining Manchester United last summer but prefers Manchester City now. Red Devils stars are reportedly hoping to convince manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to sign the Villa skipper having faced him or played with him at England. While they reckon Grealish would be an appealing summer signing, the Norwegian boss is keen on Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho instead. The 25-year-old is valued at around £75 million and does have admirers at Old Trafford, but it appears he is keen on joining Pep Guardiola’s side instead. The Man City boss regards him as one of the best players in the Premier League, and is considering buying him this summer as he looks to defend the top-flight title and go one better ...
Tactical Analysis: How Manchester City undid themselves against Chelsea in the Champions League final
After three encounters this season in the Premier League and FA Cup, Manchester City and Chelsea squared off in the biggest match of the European club football season – the Champions League final. Pep Guardiola’s side played Frank Lampard’s men off the park in Stamford Bridge to kick off an incredible winning streak at the very beginning of 2021, but new manager Thomas Tuchel won both in the FA Cup semi-final and reverse league fixture. All of that would not have a big bearing on this match, as City were looking to lift the first-ever Champions League trophy while Chelsea were looking to win their second. After an intense strategic battle, Chelsea emerged 1-0 winners thanks to Kai Havertz’s first-half goal. There were many intriguing tactical aspects to the game, right from player selectio...
PSG president: Super League didn’t have the interests of football at heart
Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi says the Super League project was not in football’s best interests, insisting the Champions League must be protected. PSG were not among the 12 founding members of the competition, which pledged to break away from UEFA and compete with or replace the Champions League. The plan collapsed within days of its announcement, as football’s governing bodies and fan protests convinced nine clubs to pull out and Al-Khelaifi believes football is better off without the controversial idea. “Football has been around for years and years. The Super League did not have at heart to defend the interests of football,” he told AFP. “You can envisage changes but not break the tradition that every club can hope to achieve their dreams. “All teams must have the opp...
Aguero starts, Guardiola to make three changes | Predicted Man City line-up (4-3-3) vs Chelsea
Manchester City take on Chelsea in the Champions League final at Estadio do Dragao tonight. City were recently crowned Premier League champions, and they celebrated the title on the final matchday with a stunning 5-0 win over Everton. They are now aiming to secure a maiden continental treble by winning the Champions League title for the first time in their history. It will be an all-Premier League affair in the final. City have lost the last two meetings against the Blues, and they are still favourites to win. Formation: 4-3-3 Predicted Line-up: Ederson has been City’s undisputed choice in goal for the league and European games. The Brazilian recently won the Premier League Golden Boot award for the most clean sheets (19). He is expected to start against the Blues. Guardiola has experiment...
£18m-rated star confirms he has made the ‘brave decision’ to join Barcelona
Manchester City centre-back Eric Garcia has confirmed that he will join Barcelona on a free transfer when his contract expires next month. It has been known for a while that the 20-year-old will be signing for the Catalan giants, and the defender has now formally confirmed the deal. In an interview with L’Esportiu, Garcia said that he has made the ‘brave decision’ to return to the Blaugrana, where he spent 10 years in the academy. He said: “I have thought about my future, what I think is the best now. I think it’s a brave decision. I am very convinced of the step I have taken.” Garcia could be playing alongside compatriot Gerard Pique next term. The 34-year-old left Manchester United in 2008 for a return to the Blaugrana, where he is now a club legend. When compared with Pique’s path, Garc...
Report: Aguero puts Barcelona move on hold amid Messi’s contract uncertainty
Sergio Aguero has reportedly decided to put his impending move to Barcelona on hold amid the contractual uncertainty surrounding his close friend Lionel Messi. The 32-year-old looked to be a step away from completing a move to Camp Nou after calling time on his ten-year stint at the Etihad Stadium. However, the situation has taken a twist, as Aguero now wants to make sure Messi will remain at Barcelona before putting pen to paper on a contract, per Mundo Deportivo. Everyone at the club is confident the six-time Ballon d’Or winner will commit to fresh terms in the coming weeks. Although president Joan Laporta recently admitted the discussions are progressing well, the 33-year-old has yet to sign a new deal. With Messi’s current contract running out in a month, Manchester City and Paris Sain...
Robin van Persie wants Chelsea boss to give Hakim Ziyech ‘much bigger role’
Former Arsenal forward Robin van Persie has urged Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel to give “a much bigger role” to Hakim Ziyech. The 28-year-old has made 39 appearances for the Blues across all competitions since teaming up with the side last summer. The winger has played in a number of roles under Tuchel and Van Persie has expressed his displeasure with this, since the Morocco international does not have a definite role at the club. “It is actually a shame that the creativity of players like Ziyech, Pulisic and Kovacic – who I think is a brilliant player – is not being expressed,” Van Persie told De Telegraaf. “Kovacic is their engine and playmaker. Ziyech also has those qualities higher up the pitch, but he should have a much bigger role in the team. “He is now constantly searching [for a p...
Arsenal interested in signing Manchester City forward
Manchester City have decided to sell a few players this summer and Raheem Sterling is on top of that list, with Arsenal expressing interest in signing the winger as per a report from the Daily Mail. The Englishman has had a disappointing season scoring only 14 goals, but he’s been an important part of City’s run to the Champions League final. Despite not touching the heights of 2019/20, the winger remains a vital cog in the team. As per Daily Mail, Sterling isn’t the only one who has been placed on the market as fellow winger Riyad Mahrez is on that list as well. The Manchester club are willing to listen to offers for both the players. The report also states that the Gunners are interested in both of them with manager Mikel Arteta having already worked with the duo. One factor that could p...
Barcelona confident of securing Premier League duo within the next week
Barcelona are confident of securing Premier League duo Sergio Aguero and Gerginio Wijnaldum on free transfers within the next week, Sky Sports reports. Representatives of both players have been at the Nou Camp over the last few days to discuss the final terms of their proposed contracts. Finalising a deal for Aguero should develop more rapidly, with the striker’s final game for Manchester City coming in the Champions League final against Chelsea on Saturday. Long-term Barcelona target Wijnaldum said his goodbyes to his Liverpool teammates after the Reds’ final league game of the season last weekend. The Catalan giants have been crippled by the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic, with debts reaching more than £1 billion, and they have been targeting players approaching ...
Manchester City willing to break £100 million barrier to sign Aston Villa skipper
Manchester City are willing to break the £100m barriers to sign Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish. The Daily Mail says Grealish has long been admired by Pep Guardiola and City’s manager wants the 25-year-old at the hub of what he hopes he will become the second great team of his reign in Manchester. Villa rewarded Grealish last September with a lucrative new contract and the club captain still has four years to run on his deal. His importance to Dean Smith’s side is huge and, as such, they would not entertain selling their local hero for anything less than a new British transfer record. City have not had the most expensive player in the Premier League since they signed Robinho for £32.5m at the start of the Abu Dhabi era in September 2008 but there is recognition that recruiting Grealish w...
