You should have seen Pep Guardiola breathe out of spite this week, at a press conference, when he was asked about the rumors of the departure of Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker. “About Bernardo (Silva) and Kyle (walker)what can I say… They are very important to us, obviously we want them, we will do everything we can to keep them.” A litany recited in a disillusioned tone, which the Catalan does not hesitate to use when he wants to make people feel that he is tired of repeating himself.
Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the Manchester City coach. Since the transfer market is open, or even before, many of its players, and not the least, are announced on departure. Kyle Walker is in the sights of Bayern Munich, Bernardo Silva has in turn been close to joining PSG, Barcelona or Saudi Arabia, João Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte should set sail. Not to mention the effective departures of Ilkay Gündogan and Riyad Mahrez, who left for Barcelona and Al-Ahli respectively.
The spleen of City
Manchester City did not let it go without lifting a finger. Mateo Kovacic arrived fairly quickly, and Josko Gvardiol became the most expensive defender in history on Saturday (90 million euros according to the British press). But the climate of preparation suffers from all these uncertainties. The delay accumulated at the end of last season with the Champions League had repercussions on the pre-season and on the transfer window, and did not do much good for Manchester City. “We finished last season two weeks after Arsenal, we resumed two weeks after themGuardiola recalled this week. We’re not in our best shape.”
On the other side of the ring, it’s the opposite. After having lost a title that was once promised to them, Arsenal got back on their feet in July, and did not hesitate to get their hands on the wallet. Kai Havertz and Jürrien Timber had time to arrive before the Gunners completed the signing of their preferred target, Declan Rice, for more than 120 million euros. In a few weeks, the squad was skillfully and powerfully expanded, and Mikel Arteta’s men were then able to roam against Manchester United and Barcelona, during a fairly intense American tour.
Rice preferred London
Declan Rice had also aroused the interest of Manchester City, but had preferred to join the Gunners. The sign of a new sporting superiority? Certainly not. The sign of a new dynamic that Arsenal has managed to trigger and which allows it to look Manchester City in the eye now, that is already more plausible. “We simply explained to him our project, and what his role would be with us.explained Mikel Arteta this week. He and his family were won over from the start.”
Arsenal proved last year on the pitch that they had once again become a great player in England, and thus reap the benefits when it comes to attracting players. He still has to assume this status in direct confrontation with the ogre cityzen. Beaten three times in three duels last season, and unable to defeat their new rival since 2020, the North London club must rectify the situation. Doing so even before the start of the Premier League, while depriving Manchester City of the quadruple, would be the most beautiful effect to restart the machine.