The coach is desperate to trim his group of players down to keep them motivated – and here is who he should be looking to offload
Pep Guardiola has two topics he keeps on coming back to whenever he speaks to the media. The first is the match schedule, particularly how the television companies often give Manchester City unfavourable treatment, such as making them play on a Saturday after a gruelling Wednesday Champions League encounter or giving them just two days' rest for a Carabao Cup tie.
City fans feel proud when he does this, as he is fighting for their cause against an establishment they feel is out to get them, although Guardiola is far from alone when it comes to complaining about when matches are arranged.
The Catalan's other favourite topic of conversation is more unique to him, the matter of the size of his squad. Guardiola fervently believes in having a small unit of players where everyone is motivated because they play regularly, rather than a bloated roster where players feel apathetic after being repeatedly overlooked. And not even City's injury crisis of last season, when they had to supplement their squad with academy players and sign four new recruits in January, has persuaded him to change course.
The City boss stressed the need to trim down his squad during the Club World Cup, and did so again after his side's emphatic 4-0 win at Wolves on the opening day of the Premier League season: "Too many people. I like a deep squad to compete in all competitions, but I don't want to leave players at home. It's not healthy. In the next two weeks, people will talk with players and agents to find a solution."
Guardiola's ideal squad size is 23 players, as it was when City last won the title in 2023-24, but his current group numbers 30 even after Vitor Reis, Jack Grealish and summer signing Sven Nyerre left on loan to Girona, Everton and Middlesbrough, respectively. So with less than two weeks to go before the transfer window shuts, who should City move on to give Guardiola the streamlined, super-motivated squad he so desires?
Getty ImagesEderson
When City signed James Trafford last month, the expectation was that the returning academy graduate would compete with Ederson for the starting berth in goal while Stefan Ortega would depart. But the situation has changed with the growing uncertainty surrounding Ederson's future.
The Brazil international was keen to leave City in the summer of 2024 when a succulent offer from Saudi Arabia arrived, and even though he insisted at the Club World Cup that he wanted to stay, the speculation that he will in fact depart has refused to die down after Galatasaray expressed strong interest in him.
Guardiola insisted that Ederson's absence against Wolves was down to gastroenteritis, though it is worth remembering what the Catalan's former Barcelona player Xavi Hernandez once said about the stomach virus in football: "Gastroenteritis is the reason given when something else is going on."
Trafford looked very comfortable in the Wolves game, and although City are not ruling out a bid for Gianluigi Donnarumma in the event Ederson does leave, this seems a golden opportunity to let Trafford compete with Ortega and cash in on the Brazilian, whose shot-stopping powers have been on the wane for some time.
Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesNathan Ake
Even after Reis' loan departure, City still have a surplus of centre-backs. Six players are competing for two spots now that Josko Gvardiol has solidified a spot at the heart of the defence, and Nathan Ake is the player who makes the most sense to part with.
The Dutch defender made only eight Premier League starts last season as he suffered three long absences with injury, including undergoing foot surgery towards the end of the campaign. Guardiola even name-checked him along with John Stones, complaining that the duo "have been injured all season" before saying "you cannot perform if you are not reliable".
Ake is now 30 and has two years left on his contract, meaning there is still time to get a reasonable transfer fee for him to invest back into the squad and keep the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) wolf from the door.
AFPJoshua Wilson-Esbrand
Joshua Wilson-Esbrand has been on City's books since 2019, although he has never made a competitive appearance for the first team, spending the last four years out on loan – in France with Reims and at various Championship clubs – while never really standing out during any of those spells.
Although City are not well stocked with natural left-backs beyond new signing Rayan Ait-Nouri, Wilson-Esbrand is not at the level required and if anything happens to Ait-Nouri then Gvardiol can revert to playing on the left, as can Nico O'Reilly.
City should be looking to find a permanent new club for Wilson-Esbrand as the chances of him ever making the step up appear ever slimmer. At the very least, he should go out on another loan.
Getty Images SportClaudio Echeverri
Claudio Echeverri looked an exciting prospect during the Club World Cup before picking up an ankle injury in training, but the reality is that City have more than enough wide forwards and attacking midfielders to get by. Echeverri needs more senior European football under his belt after joining from River Plate in January, and a loan move is the best place to get it rather than within the City squad as things currently stand.
There is no shortage of suitors for Echeverri, with Borussia Dortmund having recently declared their interest in the Argentine teenager following reports linking him with Roma. City simply need to decide where Echeverri is most likely to develop and then get a short-term deal done with a view to him coming back in 2026, ready to break into Guardiola's team.