Eight starters Pep Guardiola wants for Manchester City
These are the eight footballers Pep Guardiola wants to keep and bring into his starting line-up for Manchester City next season.
Pep Guardiola will take the reins at Manchester City this summer and is currently like a rich child in a penny sweet shop after a visit from some wealthy relations. Summer will be chock-full of twizzled tales telling the prized confectionary that is on its way to the Etihad, the video shows some of the desires that the ex-Barça man wants taken off the shelves.
A treasure chest worthy of the Goonies is being spoken about at the cash-rich Saudi-royal run club, with 200 millions pounds in the coffers for footballing delights, about 262 million euro. City will not be allowed to mire in humble fourth place in the Premier League, and players who'll keep their shirts include Sergio Agüero, Kevin de Bruyne, Fernandinho and captain Vincent Kompany, who is currently fretting on Euro 2016 and may miss out, but his form and injury woes have caused concern at high levels in Manchester City.
Joe Hart's continuity is under threat in goal, despite his reasonably good form he doesn't quite reach the level required by Pep in terms of tactical offensiveness, turning defence into attack, and the ex-Barça man is rumoured to be eying up a big deal for his old club's current no.1 Ter Stegen. The German is superior with the ball at his feet, much in the mold of Manuel Neuer.
Pep and Mourinho will go to war for John Stones, with his roving eye also cast on Athletic Bilbao's Aymeric Laporte. The Spanish manager was a big admirer of the Basque defender in his days at Bayern.
At left wing-back Pep likes the look of Tottenham's Danny Rose and could probably pry him away from the Pochettino camp for about 20 million, and at right wing-back Alex Oxlaide Chamberlain could be initiated into Guardiola's innovative approach - much as Alaba was at Bayern.
With Xhaka arriving at Arsenal, the London club might be convinced to cash in on Jack Wilshire, whose talent cannot be doubted but whose injury record is less than inspirational. One player close to completion in Guardiola's game-changing squad is Gündogan, the Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
Up front a partner for Sergio Aguero is top of the list and Schalke's Leroy Sané has been mentioned more than once, the attack-minded 20 year-old can play up front or on either wing, fitting in well in both 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 formations.
The renovation won't be easy, or cheap, and there are players on the way out too; Raheem Sterling hasn't delivered in Pep's estimation, and while he won't bring in what was spent on him it might accomodate a transfer
The plan at City is to accomplish the transfers and unite a squad over two transfer windows, a huge undertaking that takes into account the staging of new arrivals and the acclimatisation process. Guardiola wants to build a dynasty.