Pep Guardiola affirmed that he is willing to field a phone call from Florentino Perez himself should Real Madrid wish to take Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne. De Bruyne joined City one year before Pep swapped Bayern Munich for the Etihad, and he has gone on to become the cornerstone of the coach’s record-breaking side. Pep warned that any side interested in signing the young England international would have to pay dearly for the privilege.
Pep Guardiola said “Could De Bruyne play in Madrid? Florentino will have to call me.”
Phil Foden is another player catching the eye at the Etihad, with the 19-year-old playing a regular part in City’s plans over the last two seasons.
Pep Guardiola said “Phil Foden is very good. He is going to explode. He doesn’t have a release clause, so you are going to have a hard time picking him up. You will have to negotiate with me.”
Pep’s City are back in action on Sunday, when they will host West Ham in the Premier League.
Manchester City players asked Pep Guardiola to temper his tinkering during their 45-minute lock-in at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Guardiola has not picked the same starting XI in consecutive matches all season and has chopped and changed formations since the departure of assistant manager Mikel Arteta in December.
Senior players have concerns over Guardiola fiddling with tactics and personnel, and some aired their views during the dressing-room inquest after Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham. Guardiola opened the subject to the floor, asking for suggestions as to where they can improve following a defeat that left the champions 22 points adrift of Liverpool.
The City boss has made 76 changes to his team in the Premier League this season. That is more than any other manager, with Frank Lampard at Chelsea second with 60. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has made 46 changes and Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers 44. Chris Wilder at Sheffield United has made the fewest changes with 30.
After leaving Manchester City on loan, RB Leipzig’s new loan signing Angelino has likened Julian Nagelsmann to Pep Guardiola.
Angelino said “Julian Nagelsmann and Pep Guardiola are really similar in how they doing things and in their footballing philosophies. Pep gave me advice about moving to the Bundesliga and said it would do me good”
Angelino, who joined RB Leipzig on loan at Manchester City in January, believes Julian Nagelsmann is ‘really similar’ to Pep Guardiola.
