When Pep Guardiola sounded out clubs in England that he was looking to manage an English side now, every club went into overdrive trying to lure the Spanish manager to join them. However soon after the announcement, Manchester City declared that Guardiola had chosen the blue half of Manchester as his next destination, which left City supporters elated with the news. The former Barcelona man comes into a team which struggled to find any sort of identity last season, resulting in a 4th place finish, well below the eventual champions Leicester City. His were task at the club would be to decide which players should be shown the door and what new players should be brought in, who can play according to his philosophy and help the team as a whole.
As a club, from the supporters through to the players, City do not have the same passion for the Champions League which the other heavyweights Europe do. Guardiola, having won two Champions Leagues with Barcelona, will demand that everyone at City views the competition as he does. The squad which Guardiola has inherited has served City excellently over the years, but now new blood needs to be injected from back to front. The hunger and desire that went missing for major portions of last season needs to be restored to the squad.
With this summer’s Copa America and Euro 2016 taking place simultaneously, transfer activity is likely to be kept to a minimum for the time being. Manchester City are one of the few Premier League clubs who have already started their summer business. However more players need to be brought before the campaign kicks off properly on 13 August. Reports are emerging that Man City had tabled a £16.7million bid for Palmeira’s Gabriel Jesus with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Manchester United also in the running to sign the Brazilian starlet.
The 19-year-old striker, who is considered one of the most exciting young talents in world football, is keen on a move to Barcelona, following in the footsteps of countryman Neymar. Having been chosen in Brazil former boss Dunga’s provisional 40-man squad for the Copa America in the United States, he was seen as a replacement for the injured Douglas Costa in the final selection. However his dream was short lived as he was unable to participate in the competition due to visa issues.
At 19, Jesus is a goal scorer, who is capable of playing wide. From his time at Bayern Munich, Guardiola has focused on players who can play on the wings and help stretch oppositions defense line when they try to stay compact and stop any goal scoring opportunities. Like all Brazilians, Gabriel is a technically gifted player, who also possesses a brilliant burst of pace. One of the most impressive things about this young lad is his composure in front of goal at such a young age. However his passing ability needs to improve significantly if he wants to cement his place in Guardiola’s City team. The shift to the Premier League might be a bit difficult at first for the youngster but with a coach like Pep in charge that process will surely speed up.