Pep Guardiola is staying at Manchester City, but transfer plans may need a rethink

Some elements of Manchester City’s immediate future are uncertain. Others are not. Pep Guardiola was unequivocal he will be at the Etihad Stadium next season. “If they don’t sack me, I will be here, whatever happens,” he pledged on Wednesday. The initial caveat was unnecessary. He will not be sacked. City’s planning can begin. A manager who tends to pursue a particular path with a single-minded focus now requires differing strategies, a Plan A and a Plan B. City’s budget could be affected if they are banned from the Champions League. They are appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, so they may have to prepare for contrasting outcomes. But with their manager in place, City can think ahead. Beating West Ham reduced the gap to Liverpool to 22 points. One of next season’s tasks is to ensure they do not face such a deficit again. It will help if they can keep their premier players, even in the event of a European exile. Raheem Sterling’s agent Aidy Ward has confirmed the winger is not thinking about a transfer. Kevin de Bruyne, too, is expected to stay. A year or two without continental competition would nevertheless be a deterrent to some potential signings, a reason why one or two may eye the exit and potentially reducing their transfer outlay. “Of course, it will not be easy,” said Guardiola. Departures could make it harder. City may have to box clever, to prioritise certain positions and make do in others. Rewind a week and before Uefa’s judgment came through there was the sense City were gearing up for one of their bigger summers in the transfer market. They only paid significant sums for two players, Rodri and Joao Cancelo, a part-exchange for Danilo, last year and only one, Riyad Mahrez, in 2018. A to-do list was growing. The centre of defence ranked near the top. City lost one specialist when Vincent Kompany departed last summer. Aymeric Laporte’s five-month absence illustrated how important he is, despite Fernandinho’s successful reinvention. Guardiola is an admirer of Eric Garcia, whose assurance in possession means he has a bright future. Yet John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi have had troubled seasons and Guardiola is reluctant to pair them. There is a space for an arrival and City were interested in Harry Maguire last year, while not prepared, unlike Manchester United, to pay a world-record £85 million (Dh401m). Then there is the left-back situation. Injuries have meant Benjamin Mendy has only started 36 of City’s 158 games since his 2017 signing. They have made do, often successfully, with the converted midfielders Fabian Delph and Oleksandr Zinchenko, though the Ukrainian has suffered when he has not had Laporte inside him, but were considering moving for Leicester’s Ben Chilwell last spring, only to abort those plans. They could do with someone of his calibre. The role of Andrew Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold has shown the importance of fully-fit, flying full-backs for top-class teams and there is no doubt Liverpool have the best pair now. One possibility for City, too, is that Cancelo, who has failed to dislodge Kyle Walker at right-back, may want first-team football elsewhere. There is another pressing concern on the flanks. With Leroy Sane reluctant to sign a new contract and Bayern Munich likely to revive last summer’s interest in the winger, this summer presents the last chance to sell him. It is both City’s best chance for a windfall for the accounts and removes a player who, while rarely mentioned in his absence this season, is one of the few who can get double figures for both league goals and assists. Unearthing such a potent replacement who can operate on the left, and preferably also in one of the other forward roles, is no simple task. The successor to one of City’s all-time greats is already apparent. Guardiola has said that Phil Foden’s presence means he will not look to buy when David Silva leaves in the summer, though that could give him wiggle room to look for a different type of midfielder. But with Claudio Bravo also out of contract, a new back-up for Ederson could be required. And with two different scenarios, and presumably two different budgets, City may have to compile two different shortlists. Buying just got more complicated.

Pep Guardiola is staying at Manchester City, but transfer plans may need a rethink

The Spanish manager has already committed his future to the club who must now plot potential signings without knowing if their ban from European competition will be upheld or not