I watched every Man City game this season – Grealish and these four players should leave

It’s over. Finally. After months of pain, frustration, disappointment, and missed expectations, the curtain has come down on what will go down in history as one of the most forgettable seasons in Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City reign. For a club that only one year ago was parading a historic treble through the streets of Manchester, 2024/2025 has been a cruel reminder of how fast things can change in football. And as someone who watched every single game this season, home and away, in the league, in Europe, in cups – one thing is crystal clear: it’s time for some of these players to go. No more second chances. No more sentiment. The rebuild has to begin now.

Yes, City managed to squeeze out a third-place finish. Yes, they qualified for the Champions League. But let’s not sugar-coat it. This season was poor. It was flat. It was painful. It was City, but not as we know them. And when you look closely at what went wrong, some of the answers are not hard to find. Injuries? Of course. Losing Rodri to a devastating ACL injury in September destroyed the structure of the team. Bad luck? Maybe. Fatigue after years of winning? Possibly. But beyond all that, one thing is clear: the squad is bloated with players who have either peaked, become unreliable, or simply don’t fit anymore. Pep Guardiola is ruthless – and this summer, he must prove it again.

JACK GREALISH – A SAD, SLOW FADE TO BLACK

Let’s start with the most obvious one. Jack Grealish. The poster boy of British football not so long ago. The £100 million man who was meant to be the bridge between flair and discipline. The lad from Birmingham who conquered the Etihad and danced through Madrid in that glorious Treble season. But all of that feels like a distant memory now.

This season, Grealish has been a ghost. When he’s played, he’s looked lost. When he’s not played, which has been far too often, he hasn’t been missed. Injuries have robbed him of rhythm, confidence, and sharpness. He hasn’t scored since early November. He hasn’t created anything memorable. He has looked like a man burdened by expectation and haunted by the past.

And here’s the truth Pep Guardiola knows deep down: Jack Grealish is no longer part of his vision. He has quietly phased him out, rarely trusted him in big games, and allowed others – like Jeremy Doku and Phil Foden – to take the spotlight. It’s not a matter of talent. Grealish remains one of the most technically gifted players in England. But in football, availability is everything. And Jack hasn’t been available – not physically, not mentally, not tactically. It’s time to move on.

Grealish deserves to play regularly. He deserves a system that is built around his strengths. That place is no longer Manchester. If he stays, he will rot. If he leaves, he can rebuild. City should let him go with gratitude and good wishes. But let him go.

KYLE WALKER – A LEGEND’S LAST CHAPTER

There was a time when Kyle Walker was the fastest man in the Premier League. When he would eat wingers alive, when he would chase down anyone, when he would start every single big game for Guardiola. But time catches everyone. And now, in 2025, it has caught up with Walker.

This season, Walker spent the second half of the campaign on loan at AC Milan. That tells you everything you need to know. Pep doesn’t loan out leaders. He doesn’t loan out starters. He loans out players who are no longer part of the plan. City made the mistake of handing him a new contract in 2023, tying him down until 2026. It was a nostalgic decision, not a strategic one.

Walker’s speed is still there in bursts. His experience is invaluable. But his positioning has become suspect, his passing has deteriorated, and his reliability is gone. City cannot afford to carry him anymore. It’s not about disrespecting what he’s achieved. It’s about being honest about where he is. Kyle Walker is a Manchester City legend. But legends, too, must know when to leave the stage.

This summer, City should cut their losses. Thank him for his years of service. Celebrate him. But do not bring him back into the fold. The rebuild requires fresh legs, fresh minds, and new energy.

JOHN STONES – WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN

This one hurts. Because John Stones is loved. He’s respected. He’s admired. And at his peak, he was transformational. Remember the hybrid role during the Treble season? Stones stepping into midfield, controlling games, dominating spaces, dictating the rhythm? It was genius. It was brave. It was beautiful.

But since then, it’s been nothing but heartbreak.

Injuries have completely destroyed his season. Just 20 appearances across all competitions. Only six starts in the Premier League. His last game? February – against Real Madrid. Since then, silence.

Stones is only 30. He’s not old. But his body is older than his age. Every time he looks like he’s back, he breaks down again. You can’t build a title-winning defence around someone who is never available. And Pep knows this. He’s stopped relying on him. He’s used Akanji, Gvardiol, Ake, and even Rico Lewis in his absence. The system has moved on. Stones, sadly, has not.

This is not about ability. Stones is still world-class when fit. But that’s the problem – he’s never fit. And Guardiola cannot build his future on hope. It’s brutal. It’s painful. But it’s true.

It might be time for Stones to find a new challenge, in a league that’s less intense, in a team that will allow him more freedom. It would be a shame for it to end this way, but reality doesn’t care about fairy tales.

THE UNC CLUB – TIME TO BREAK IT UP

They’ve been nicknamed ‘The Uncs’ by the fans. A playful jab at the trio of senior midfielders – Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan, and Mateo Kovacic – all over 30, all intelligent, all technically supreme. But all part of a problem City must solve.

Let’s be clear – not all three must go. That would be chaos. But at least one of them must.

Bernardo Silva has flirted with leaving every summer since 2021. Gundogan left once, came back, and has looked like he’s been running on empty ever since. Kovacic was signed as a stopgap – and has played like one.

City are planning a midfield rebuild. That’s no secret. New targets are being scouted. Young legs. Dynamic profiles. The kind of players who can dominate Europe for the next five years. And for that, space must be created. Wages freed up. Minutes opened.

Bernardo, for all his brilliance, deserves to go if his heart is no longer in Manchester. Gundogan may want a different role, or even to move into coaching. Kovacic hasn’t done enough to demand a second season. Hard decisions have to be made. Pep is not sentimental. He’ll choose ruthlessly. One ‘Unc’ must go.

EDERSON – THE UNTHINKABLE NOW THINKABLE

Here’s the shocker. Ederson. The man who revolutionized goalkeeping at Manchester City. The man who turned passing from the back into an art. The man who terrified opponents with his calmness. The man who many still believe is the best ball-playing keeper in the world.

But here’s the cold truth – Ederson has declined.

His reflexes aren’t what they used to be. His positioning has been exposed this season. His save percentage has dropped. And worst of all, his injuries are becoming more frequent. He’s 31 now. Not old for a keeper. But not young either.

Guardiola has already started grooming Stefan Ortega. He played big games this season. He looked confident. Solid. Reliable. In some games, he looked better than Ederson. The shift has already begun – quietly, subtly, but undeniably.

Ederson has been a legend. Arguably the best goalkeeper City have ever had. But football moves fast. And City cannot allow nostalgia to block their future.

If a good offer comes in – from Saudi, from Brazil, from the MLS – they should take it. Not because Ederson is finished. But because the next phase of Guardiola’s City requires evolution. It’s time to plan ahead.

CONCLUSION – THE HARDEST SUMMER YET

Manchester City are not in crisis. But they are at a crossroads. This season has exposed cracks. Mental cracks. Physical cracks. Tactical cracks. The squad is not broken. But it is bruised. Aging. Stale in parts. And that is deadly in elite football.

Guardiola must be bold this summer. Bolder than ever before. The rebuild starts now. And that rebuild starts with farewells. Emotional ones. Necessary ones. Five players, maybe more, must leave. Grealish. Walker. Stones. One of the Uncs. Ederson.

They’ve all had their moments. Their magic. Their medals. But their chapters are closing. And new ones must begin. Because if City want to return to the top – if they want to win Europe again, dominate England again, scare the world again – they must show no mercy. Football is a game of heart. But winning is a game of decisions. Now, Pep must decide.