Manchester City fans are having one of those summers where nothing feels settled and you can sense the tension in every single conversation because Pep Guardiola has made it very clear he wants his squad to be smaller next season and that is not a small thing coming from him because he’s not the type of manager who says things he doesn’t mean if he says he wants fewer players in the dressing room that means people are leaving no question about it and that always brings a lot of worry and a lot of speculation about who’s going to be sold who’s going to stay who might be loaned out who might even be forced out even if they don’t want to go
Pep has his reasons he always does you can see it when he talks about training he says it over and over he doesn’t want a massive group he wants a tight-knit squad where everyone is involved where no one is left out where he can give attention to every single player every session it’s about control it’s about detail it’s about intensity Pep doesn’t want passengers he wants everyone sharp switched on ready to play and if the squad is too big you can’t do that you end up with frustrated players on the bench not playing for weeks losing motivation dropping the training level that’s Pep’s nightmare and he’s determined to avoid it
But there’s more to it than just the training ground dynamics there’s also a very practical reason Manchester City need to sell players this summer it’s about the Premier League and UEFA squad rules these are the rules that govern how many players you can register for competitions and even more importantly how many of them have to be “homegrown” players you can’t just fill your squad with imported stars even if you can afford them even if you want to there are strict limits and City are already close to breaking those limits
That’s where the real problem lies because the players who are being sold or rumoured to be sold right now are the very ones who count as homegrown for these rules look at Kyle Walker he just moved to Burnley over the weekend that’s one homegrown slot gone he might be an aging right-back but he’s also an England international with leadership experience and he ticked a vital box for the squad list now he’s gone and they have to replace that slot somehow
And then there’s Kalvin Phillips who’s almost certain to go City bought him with high hopes thinking he’d be Rodri’s backup a player who could rotate and keep the midfield solid but it just hasn’t worked for him at all he’s had injuries he’s looked rusty he’s never really settled and Pep has barely used him you can see it in his body language he doesn’t look confident he doesn’t look like he believes he belongs and Pep can see that too he’s not going to keep a player he doesn’t trust to deliver so Phillips will be sold or loaned or something but he’s another homegrown slot
Same thing with James McAtee a talented young academy product who has had loan spells at Sheffield United and shown he can play at a good level he’s the kind of player City fans want to see breaking through but he’s also valuable in the transfer market because he’s young English and proven in the Championship and now in the Premier League clubs want him and City might cash in because they know he might not get many minutes with all their stars in midfield but again he’s homegrown
And then you have Jack Grealish maybe the biggest shock name on the list because it was only a couple of years ago City broke their transfer record to buy him from Aston Villa for £100 million it was a massive deal a statement signing he was supposed to be the creative genius to unlock deep defences to add flair and unpredictability to Pep’s machine and in fairness he’s had some good moments especially in that treble-winning season he was part of history but last season he struggled with injuries and form and with Jeremy Doku looking sharp and Phil Foden taking on a bigger role suddenly Grealish is no longer guaranteed to start and if the right offer comes in Pep might let him go because he’s ruthless like that but crucially Grealish is also homegrown
So you see the problem City can sell these four players Walker Phillips McAtee Grealish and they will succeed in reducing the squad size which is what Pep wants but they will also rip out four of their precious homegrown slots which creates a brand new headache for the people in charge of building the squad because you can’t just replace them with foreign players you have to keep the homegrown quota satisfied or you can’t register a full squad in the Premier League or the Champions League
It’s a balancing act that even the richest clubs in the world have to play because the rules are the rules you can have all the money in the world you can have the best scouts the best coaches the best training ground but you can’t break those limits without getting punished and City know all about punishments they’re already fighting off 115 financial charges from the Premier League they don’t want any more regulatory trouble they have to play it smart
And that means they have to plan every sale carefully they can’t just clear out players like they’re taking the rubbish out they have to think about the squad list about the impact on the dressing room about the balance of the team about the mood of the fans because fans get attached to these players too look at Walker he’s been there for years he’s won everything he’s been captain on big nights he’s been part of the leadership group selling him makes sense on one level but it also changes the dynamic in the dressing room it takes away experience it takes away a voice players listen to that matters
Same with Grealish sure he’s flashy sure he can be inconsistent but he’s also popular he brings personality to a squad that can be a bit robotic sometimes he’s got swagger he’s got confidence he brings something different and City paid so much for him that admitting it hasn’t worked perfectly and selling him feels like an admission of failure even though that’s harsh but Pep doesn’t care about feelings he cares about results and if he thinks selling Grealish is the best move he’ll do it
And then there’s the question of who comes in if you sell these homegrown players you need to replace them with other homegrown players or academy graduates and that is not easy City’s academy is one of the best in the world but even then there’s no guarantee the kids are ready to step up look at McAtee he’s been close for years but he hasn’t quite convinced Pep he can be trusted in the biggest games there are others like Oscar Bobb who are getting minutes but are they ready to fill the void left by Walker or Grealish that’s a huge ask
And buying homegrown players in the market is even harder because every club in England knows how valuable they are you get hit with a premium instantly someone who might be worth £20 million on talent alone suddenly costs £40 million or £50 million because they’re English or trained in England and that is the reality City face they can sell Walker but replacing him isn’t cheap they can offload Phillips but finding a homegrown backup for Rodri isn’t easy they can let Grealish go but buying an English winger with his level of experience and profile will cost a fortune
So you can see why City are being cautious they want to sell but they can’t sell everyone at once they have to stagger it they have to make sure they don’t weaken the squad too much they have to keep Pep happy but also meet the squad rules and keep the fans onside because City fans are smart they know the rules they know the challenges they want to see exciting signings but they also don’t want to see the homegrown core ripped out completely because they know what that means when it comes to European competitions and Premier League registration
And let’s not forget the vibe in the squad itself Pep has always been about the group about the collective he doesn’t want anyone feeling like dead weight he doesn’t want sulky players ruining the mood in training he’d rather have 20 outfielders all engaged all motivated than 25 with five complaining every day so yes the squad size is an issue and Pep is right to want it smaller but how do you cut it down without losing too much homegrown quality that is the question
