That label definitely applied to Manchester City’s opening goal in their 3-0 win over Fulham. Overlapping full-back Matheus Nunes curled a teasing cross into the penalty area, Erling Haaland mistimed his jump for the header but the ball ricocheted off visiting midfielder Sander Berge and Antoine Semenyo was on the spot to prod home.

If one doesn’t get you, the other one will. It was a classic strike-partnership goal from a cross that you could pluck out of any era of English football. And here was a Pep Guardiola team scoring it

“He has an incredible sense of goal,” Guardiola said of Semenyo, his £62.5m January signing from Bournemouth. “These type of goals, chaos in the boxes, second balls, always he is there. He smells the situation.”

When City signed Semenyo, he appeared to address an obvious shortfall in the City squad, that of an attacking, goalscoring right winger. Except that he hasn’t played there all that often. Against Fulham, Semenyo operated as a centre-forward alongside Haaland. He has also played on both wings, as a split striker with Omar Marmoush and, during last weekend’s dramatic 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield, as one of the attacking midfielders at the front of Guardiola’s box midfield. He’s played eight games and scored five goals.

“It’s been very different,” Semenyo told reporters afterwards, having switched life under the highly regarded Andoni Iraola at Bournemouth for a crash course in Guardiolisme. “Very intense, ball-dominant. I haven’t really been in a team that’s ball-dominant before. It’s just like being really patient, understanding when to slow down the game, when to speed up and being in the right positions, being an option. It’s a lot, but in the month I’ve learnt so much and it’s improving me as a player, so I’m grateful.”

This gets to the heart of how Guardiola is adapting to this physical and transition-heavy Premier League. It’s City, but it’s not City. A player coming in and being asked to be versatile and adaptable, learning when to slow and push the tempo of the game. That’s all classic Guardiola stuff. But signing a forward who is not used to being in “ball-dominant” teams and him instantly becoming integral. That’s new. Perhaps the same applied to Riyad Mahrez and Jack Grealish, but they were deft technicians in a way that Semenyo isn’t. 

The Ghana international is someone who provides a wide attacking goal threat unlike anyone at City since Raheem Sterling was in his pomp, as evidenced by him charging in from the back post for a close-range finish in the first leg of City’s Carabao Cup semifinal win over Newcastle. That looked like a classic 2017-2020 City goal, and also the sort of thing Guardiola would orchestrate at Bayern Munich. Semenyo roving around Anfield as an attacking No. 8, not so much.

“That was different as well,” he said, raising his eyebrows slightly. “Listen, I’m learning on the go and it’s helping me as a player.” From Guardiola’s point of view, playing Semenyo in the role he did to disrupt Liverpool is the simplest and most logical thing in the world. It’s maybe his greatest skill: to bring players along with apparently madcap schemes and convince them that they’re normal because they work time and time again.

“Sometimes you make a player play in a position when that position requires some attributes that the player has to have and [Semenyo] has. It’s no more complicated than that,” Guardiola explained. “If you need an attacking midfielder to receive [possession], turn and attack the central defender, he has the attributes. 

“Play right, left, both sides, he can do it. Striker, in behind, he can do it. He has the incredible skills to do that. After that, he is so open-minded and generous in his effort. When he jumps [to press], the pace that he does is unbelievable.”

More than anything else, it’s the sight of Semenyo forming a two-man battering ram with Haaland that feels like the most exciting potential difference-maker if City are to hang on to Arsenal’s coattails in this title race. If Guardiola sticks with this ploy, the 26-year-old will take some of his cues from one of the most un-false nines in Premier League history.

“I loved watching Didier Drogba. I did want to play as a number nine a few years back,” Semenyo said. “I just loved his playing style when I was at Bristol. That was someone I looked up to and wanted to replicate his game.”

A forward who can play in several different positions to help the team, depending on the situation. Also, a player who idolises Didier Drogba and is thriving in the most duel-laden Premier League in recent memory. It’s Guardiola’s City, but it’s not Guardiola’s City. A throwback and something entirely different.

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Ever animated and tactile, Guardiola hugged Viana before going into some of his usual gesticulations, patting the former Newcastle United midfielder on the stomach a couple of times.

There was certainly a lot to unpack.

City were cruising to a statement win when Sander Berge diverted Jeremy Doku’s cross into his own net to make it 5-1 early in the second half. Phil Foden backed up his double against Leeds United with another excellent brace and Erling Haaland had become the fastest player in history to 100 Premier League goals.

Then, on the banks of the River Thames, City suddenly found themselves drowning amid choppy waters. Alex Iwobi dispatched a crisp 25-yard effort before the hour and substitute Samuel Chukwueze crashed home a couple of his own when the visitors failed to effectively clear balls into their box.

Everything Fulham touched turned to gold. Their four goals — also including Emile Smith Rowe’s wonderfully deft header in first-half stoppage time — came amid an xG of just 0.9 over the 90 minutes. Deep into injury time, Josko Gvardiol hacked Josh King’s effort off the goal line to deny Marco Silva’s team one of the all-time great Premier League comebacks.

“It’s a chaos game. I think a great game to watch from the stands and on TV, but we all know that letting in four goals is not good enough,” a still faintly baffled Haaland told reporters afterwards, laughing along when it was suggested his landmark goal felt like it had arrived about six months ago, given all that came after.

“This period right now is about getting the points, getting three points here and there because it’s a tough period. Look at the schedule, it’s incredible — so many games, even in the cups, the Champions League, the Premier League. 

“In the end, you need to win games and be consistent and try to be there. If you’re there, you never know what’s going to happen for sure. The league is not finished by Christmas, but you need to be there.”

It’s a time of year when the cold, hard currency of results counts for far more than artistic impression, something Guardiola knows more than most. There was also a post-match chat from the manager for Haaland under the light of the giant Christmas tree outside the Craven Cottage dressing rooms. The message was clear: no let-up from a player who has never been more important to his team’s cause. 

Haaland’s three appearances without a goal before Fulham felt like a huge drought given what had come before. Following a poor individual showing in last weekend’s win over Leeds, he’s now back in business with 20 goals in 19 matches across all competitions for City in 2025/26.

“He [reminded me of] a chat yesterday after training, that I need to do everything I can to stay sharp, to stay fit,” the 25-year-old said. “That’s what I’ve been doing. He knows I take care of my body. I need to be ready every single game because I need to do my job, I need to be focused and I need to get my body in shape. Now I need to go and get some treatments.”

Haaland’s gargantuan scoring feats — his 100 Premier League goals in 111 appearances is 13 matches faster than any other player — are so vital to City because they lack many of the old certainties of the Guardiola era.

It would have been inconceivable for any of the Catalan’s four-in-a-row title-winning teams between 2020/21 and 2023/24 to have gone so far off the rails from the position of strength they had at Fulham. Guardiola noted his problems in holding midfield are affecting the team’s capacity to control matches. Rodri and Mateo Kovacic remain sidelined and an exhausted Nico Gonzalez was substituted with the score at 5-2 in west London. John Stones, Nico O’Reilly and Bernardo Silva all mucked in at the base of the midfield as the visitors escaped with the points.

Unstoppable.

A 100th @premierleague goal for @ErlingHaaland 💯 pic.twitter.com/6VybdqkNB4

— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 3, 2025

Haaland also identified a wider issue that is beyond City’s control: the overall quality of the Premier League. Tuesday’s victory moved the 10-time champions to within two points of Arsenal. Then a span of five points covers everyone from Chelsea in third, all the way down to Bournemouth in 14th. The old adage that “anyone can beat anyone” in England’s top tier has often felt like self-congratulatory Best League In The World brand management, but it’s rarely seemed as true as it does now.

“The teams are so good,” Haaland said. “Fulham are a really good team. People come here and struggle a lot. Look at Arsenal. They come and struggle, but they win. United… there are many teams who come here and struggle. 

“The average in the Premier League is incredible. When you look at all the teams, how good everyone is, it’s incredible. Fulham are a tough team and when we stopped playing in the second half, it became difficult. They got momentum, they scored goals and we stopped playing. We need to keep playing, we need to keep the ball. That’s what we need to do.”

And Haaland needs to keep scoring. Of all the things Guardiola was chewing over after a remarkable game, that’s probably the thing he needs to worry about the least.

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In the 74th minute of Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Liverpool, man of the match Jeremy Doku made way to a standing ovation.

Belgium winger Doku terrorised the Liverpool defence throughout the contest, with right-back Conor Bradley enduring a very different 90 minutes to those he enjoyed in midweek when shackling Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior.

Doku proved to be a different proposition entirely to the 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up, and he capped a superb showing by firing home from outside the area after the hour. The result put City second, four points behind leaders Arsenal after 11 games.

When he made way for Omar Marmoush a little over 10 minutes later, Guardiola embraced the 23-year-old before engaging him in an animated and fairly one-way conversation.

“We were talking during the training session sometimes about how my body position is when I shoot and we were just talking about after I scored,” he explained. “So it was a quick joke.

“It’s difficult to explain [Guardiola’s advice], just that I have to put my body above the ball when I shoot so the ball doesn’t…so I can put more power, something like that.”

Body position is one of Guardiola’s footballing obsessions, from holding midfielders to attackers. Early in his City reign, footage of him manhandling Raheem Sterling on the training ground went viral.

Although never a natural finisher, Sterling racked up enough goals to be the third-highest individual goalscorer under Guardiola after Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero with 120 when he left City in 2022.

While praising his winger’s performance after the match, Guardiola said Doku, “will never be a top, top scorer if I’m honest”. That being said, there is so much room for improvement. The Liverpool screamer was Doku’s first in the Premier League this season, while he has scored three in each of his previous two league campaigns.

“No, I don’t do that [have a target for goals and assists], because I think those come from themselves,” Doku said.

“I just work to have more of that, but I’m not a player that’s going to look after a game and say, ‘You didn’t score, you didn’t assist, you had a bad game’. I’m not that type of player. A bad game is for me if I don’t touch the ball, if I’m not effective or if I lose a lot of balls; that’s a bad game.

“If I didn’t score today, would I have said this is a bad game? No, I would have said this is a good game. That’s how I am and how I’m going to be.”

Part of Doku’s effectiveness in recent weeks has been down to a changing role in Guardiola’s new-look City configuration. Having spent most of his first two years in Manchester as a touchline-hugging winger, the former Rennes player has been given license to roam from flank to flank. He can also be seen darting in-field to link with playmakers and kindred spirits Phil Foden and Rayan Cherki, along with getting close to Erling Haaland at centre-forward.

“If I get freedom, I’m not going to say no. Of course, I prefer that,” he said. “Getting inside, getting outside, go where the ball is. It makes it unpredictable for the opponents so I like it.

“The manager likes that we [Doku, Foden and Cherki] all stay close to each other. All those short passes work well, we have a lot of street in us so that works.”

After struggling during the opening weeks of the season, City and Doku are both shaping up pretty well.

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Under new manager Thomas Frank, the club have now entered a important transition, but have suffered setback just weeks into pre-season.

Spurs are rocked by a knee injury to James Maddison who was going to be the creative force in midfield and the departure of captain Heung-Min Son to LAFC in what’s going to be a record breaking MLS transfer has left a leadership vacuum.

Frank has moved quickly to sign Joao Palhinha on loan from Bayern Munich  and Mohammed Kudus from West Ham but a deal for Morgan Gibbs-White fell through and now the club is rethinking their attack.

Tottenham are interested in Man City star

Tottenham have expressed interest in Manchester City winger Savinho, a 21-year-old Brazilian talent who rose to prominence in 2023/24 while on loan at Girona.

According to GIVEMESPORT, Spurs have internally identified Savinho as a potential signing as they seek to inject creativity and unpredictability into their forward line following some setbacks.

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Savinho joined Man City from French side Troyes at the start of the 2024/25 campaign after playing a key role in Girona’s historic push to Champions League qualification.

He made 45 appearances in all competitions for Manchester City in his debut season, scoring two goals and providing 12 assists – a sign of his growing influence, even within a stacked attacking squad.

His form at Girona drew high praise from Pep Guardiola, who remains a strong admirer of the winger’s potential.

“Savinho made an incredible season at Girona,” Guardiola said during the Club World Cup. 

“He was their best player and brought that team to play in the Champions League.”

“Last season, he started well and then played a little less because of my reasons, but he is a player with incredible potential.”

“We cannot forget he is so young. He needs to make more decisive actions in the final third.

The moment he makes this step and says he wants to be the player that is decisive, he will be an extraordinary player.”

According to same report, Man City are not actively looking to sell and Savinho remains a part of Guardiola’s evolving squad.

His future could hinge on how much playing time he can expect, especially following the arrival of Rayan Cherki.

Tottenham Hotspur news and related links

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While additions are anticipated in multiple roles of Pep Guardiola’s clan, with Man City being heavily linked with several top names for potential transfers, many also expected changes in front of the goal.

Man City’s form in the 2024-25 season was quite underwhelming in comparison to their past seasons. Along with facing defeats, they were also unable to maintain a clean sheet in most matches.

City’s first-choice goalkeeper Ederson sustained multiple injuries in the campaign, missing 10 matches for the club. This allowed more opportunities for Stefan Ortega to take the pitch, and he featured in 21 games.

Along with his absence, many were also unimpressed with Ederson’s display this term. He contributed to 12 clean sheets and conceded 48 goals in 37 appearances for Man City. However, Guardiola recently confirmed (comments via @ferrancorreas) that he is not interested in making changes to his goalkeepers this summer.

“I don’t know much about goalkeepers [joining/leaving Man City]. I tell them to stay. We’ve talked about the situation of the squad, and the two goalkeepers we have will stay,” said the Catalan manager.

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While Guardiola has made his stance clear, reports suggest that Ederson might be interested in a move away from the Etihad.

Will Ederson part ways with Man City this summer?

Ederson, who arrived at Man City from Benfica in 2017, is open to a move to the Saudi Pro League, according to The Athletic reporter Jordan Campbell.

The Saudi clubs have been interested in acquiring Ederson’s signature for a while now, with them heavily pursuing the Brazillian star in the last summer transfer window.

The aforementioned report also suggested that Al-Ittihad are keen on signing Ederson this summer, but are yet to make an official move.

With his current contract at Man City valid until the end of June next year, it remains to be seen if Ederson decides to part ways with Guardiola’s squad to join the Saudi Pro League this summer.

Manchester City news and related links

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With only one match left in the season, Man City aim for a top-five finish in the Premier League to secure a Champions League qualification for the next campaign.

Following their 3-1 win against Bournemouth on May 20, at Etihad Stadium, Man City moved up to the third rank in the league table with 68 points.

Speaking after the recent victory, Guardiola revealed that he had told club authorities what he does not ‘want’ in order to continue at Man City.

What did Pep Guardiola tell Man City?

Despite dealing with multiple injuries throughout the season and having key players sidelined, Guardiola has made it clear that he does not want a bigger squad to manage at Man City. He also mentioned (comments via BBC Sport) that he does not like leaving out players from the squad on matchdays.

“I said to the club I don’t want that [a bigger squad]. I don’t want to leave five or six players in the freezer. I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay. It’s impossible for my soul to [tell] my players in the tribune [stands] that they cannot play,” he said.

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“Maybe [for] three, four months we couldn’t select 11 players, we didn’t have defenders, it was so difficult. After, people came back, but next season it cannot be like that. As a manager I cannot train 24 players and every time I select I have to have four, five, six stay in Manchester at home because they cannot play. This is not going to happen. I said to the club, I don’t want that,” concluded Guardiola.

Earlier this month, Guardiola revealed that he would ‘take a break’ after his current contract at Man City expires. The Catalan manager is contracted to stay at the Etihad until the summer of 2027.

Guardiola & Co. are pitted against Fulham in their last Premier League game of the season on May 25, at Craven Cottage.

Man City news and related links

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As a player, Guardiola was part of the Barcelona side that won the club’s first European Cup in 1991/92, as well as six league titles, four of them consecutive between the 1990/91 and 1993/94 seasons. He captained the club, before leaving after 17 years. He went on to have a handful of brief stints at other clubs, including Brescia and Roma, but will always be remembered as a player for his time at Barcelona.

After retiring, he took charge of Barcelona B for a year before replacing Frank Rijkaard as manager of the senior team. Almost immediately, everything clicked. Guardiola brought back the football that Barcelona saw as part of their DNA, built around a midfield trio of Xavi, Sergio Busquets, and Andres Iniesta, with a little help from Lionel Messi.

He was unwavering in enforcing his philosophy of positional play onto his team, and in return they delivered success, season upon season, playing scintillating football. After four years, he took a one-year sabbatical, came back refreshed, and took over at Bayern Munich for three seasons, tweaking his tactics and ensuring their domestic dominance continued.

From there, he moved to Manchester City, where has continued to find success, finally breaking through in the UEFA Champions League after a long dry spell in the continental competition. 

Pep Guardiola trophies won

Across his stints at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City, Guardiola has won 12 league titles.

He has also won 16 domestic cups, although it’s worth remembering his time in England has seen him competing for two domestic knockout tournaments every season — the FA Cup and the League Cup — while Germany and Spain only feature one domestic each, the DFB-Pokal and the Copa del Rey, respectively.

• Domestic league titles: 12 (3x at Barcelona, 3x at Bayern, 6x at Man City)
• Domestic cups: 16 (5x in Spain, 2x in Germany, 8x in England)
  • Copa del Rey (Spain): 2
  • Supercopa de Espana (Spain): 3
  • DFB-Pokal (Germany): 2
  • FA Cup (England): 2
  • League Cup (England): 4
  • Community Shield (England): 3

In international competition, Guardiola has won the Champions League twice with Barcelona and once with Manchester City. He has four FIFA Club World Cups (two with Barcelona and one each with Bayern Munich and City) and has a parallel tally of UEFA Super Cups.

• Champions League: 3
• UEFA Super Cups: 4
• FIFA Club World Cup: 4

Guardiola also won the Tercera Division (3rd Division) during his year at Barcelona B, and he holds the record for the most consecutive games won in the Premier League, Bundesliga, and La Liga.

Pep Guardiola trophies with Man City

Having taken over in 2016, Guardiola spent some time adapting to the competitiveness of the Premier League, while also making changes to the playing squad at City. However, he soon found his feet and has won six Premier League titles in the last seven seasons, with his latest in 2023/24 making City the first time in English history to win four consecutive top-flight titles.

In the 2017/18 season, he managed a double, as his team won the Premier League and the League Cup — a feat they repeated in the 2020/21 season. They picked up another League Cup in 2019/20.

The 2018/19 season was impressive, seeing the team manage the domestic treble of the Premier League, FA Cup, and League Cup. The historic campaign of 2022/23 surpassed that after they claimed the greatest treble: the UEFA Champions League (beating Inter Milan in the final) to go alongside the Premier League and FA Cup.

City retained the Premier League title for a record fourth consecutive season in 2023/24 but lost the FA Cup final to rivals Manchester United. An underwhelming 2024/25, plagued by form and fitness problems, saw Guardiola finish without a major domestic trophy for the first time since 2016/17 as Crystal Palace beat his side 1-0 in the FA Cup final.

Pep Guardiola trophies won with Man City by season

• 2016/17: —
• 2017/18: Premier League, League Cup
• 2018/19: Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield
• 2019/20: League Cup, Community Shield
• 2020/21: Premier League, League Cup
• 2021/22: Premier League
• 2022/23: Premier League, FA Cup, Champions League
• 2023/24: UEFA Super Cup, Premier League
• 2024/25: Community Shield

Pep Guardiola trophies with Bayern Munich

Expectations were always high when Guardiola joined a side with the domestic dominance of Bayern Munich, and he didn’t disappoint.

While evolving the tactical framework he implemented at Barcelona, Guardiola’s side waltzed to the Bundesliga titles all three seasons he was at the club, 2013/14 to 2015/16. He also picked up the DFB-Pokal twice, in the first and last season.

The team had already qualified for the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup when Guardiola joined, and he helped them win both competitions. However, it was a source of disappointment to many that he didn’t bring the Champions League to Bayern Munich. As has been the case at City, he was accused of overthinking team selections and tactical approaches for big European games.

Pep Guardiola trophies with Barcelona

Guardiola’s first management job at senior level was certainly eye-catching.

In his first season, 2008/09, he won the treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League.

His team defended the league title over the next two seasons, while winning another Champions League in 2010/11, and a second Copa del Rey in 2011/12.

In addition, Barcelona twice won both the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup twice, after each of their Champions League wins.

On top of that, won the Supercopa de Espana in 2009, 2010, and 2011. Guardiola’s Barcelona team were seen by many as a breath of fresh air, as his intensely detailed approach produced a side that regularly swept all before them.

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City have endured an injury-riddled season, which has seen them drop down the EPL table, and suffer elimination in the EFL Cup and UCL.

Following their missed opportunities, City head coach Pep Guardiola claimed his squad are fighting to make the most of their remaining chances, which include a sealing top-five finish in the league and claiming the FA Cup.

While Guardiola has been candid about his side’s underwhelming form, the Catalan manager has reflected on the campaign, labelling it as his ‘most difficult.’

What did Pep Guardiola say about Man City’s season?

Guardiola claimed (via NDTV Sports) this season has been ‘more demanding’ for City than any other in the recent past, where they they competed for titles.

“It’s been the most difficult, that’s for sure. It’s been more demanding – much more. When you don’t win, it’s more demanding emotionally and (in terms of) preparing and the moods and everything. It’s been more difficult than the previous seasons when we played for the titles,” he said.

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“We had a lot of injuries, we didn’t have the energy.

“We tried most of the time, but we were not able to do it. I didn’t find the way to let them feel comfortable about winning games.”

However, Guardiola, took responsibility for his squad’s shortcomings, adding the season could have been ‘worse.’ He acknowledged his side have not given up and are still fighting, trying make the most of what is left to achieve.

“But, even with that, I would say, it could be worse. I was not good enough to find a way, but we didn’t give up. We’re still fighting to qualify for the Champions League – that is a big, big prize – and also in the FA Cup.”

Man City’s Premier League clash against last-placed Southampton ended 0-0 on May 10, pushing them down to fourth with two matches remaining this season.

Guardiola & Co. are set to make the trip to Wembley on May 17 to lock horns with Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.

Manchester City news and related links

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And while the Blues won’t be contending for a fifth straight title, they still have a shot at securing placement in next year’s Champions League. With less than a quarter of the season remaining, City could be receiving some much-needed relief sooner than expected.

The defence has been hit perhaps harder than any other unit with Pep Guardiola at times scrambling to piece together a back line devoid of regulars.

Fortunately, it appears that Manuel Akanji could reportedly return to action sooner than expected. The 29-year-old Swiss international has been sidelined with an adductor injury sustained back in February’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid.

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Akanji underwent surgery and has been on his way to recovery since. Last week, Guardiola provided an update (via OneFootball) on the Swiss star’s return to the pitch. In addition to Akanji, both John Stones and Nathan Aké are also currently shelved due to injury.

“He’s training better. All of them will come before the end of the season. I don’t know when but he’s getting better. It’s been a long time since he has been out. Same with John and Nathan, the three of them.”

Akanji also suffered another injury in December last year that kept him off the pitch. Overall, the centre-back has missed 17 games due to injuries so far this season.

How long is Manuel Akanji out for Man City?

Akanji is now expected to be back on the pitch in the upcoming two to three weeks, according to reputable Manchester City inside source ‘FPLMaineRoad’ on X. In late February, Guardiola offered a projected timeline of 10 weeks meaning a mid-April return would beat original estimations by at least a couple of weeks.

Returning in time for one or two additional fixtures could tip the scales in a tight table in which every point counts in securing UCL qualification for 2025/26.

Akanji has contributed to nine clean sheets and provided one assist in 30 appearances across competitions for Man City this season.

Man City is back in action against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday, April 12, at Etihad Stadium.

Man City news and related links

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The 26-year-old La Masia graduate returned to his boyhood club from RB Leipzig last summer on a six-year contract, reportedly worth about €60 million.

Barca’s new signees, Olmo and Pau Victor, were initially allowed to register by La Liga. However, the registrations were later canceled by the league, which claimed that the Spanish giants were not in accordance with the financial rules.

Olmo and Victor were recently granted permission to continue playing for Barcelona until the end of the ongoing campaign after the Spanish Sports Council (CSD) sustained the club’s appeal. But the players’ future at the Catalan side remains uncertain amid the registration fiasco.

Olmo, meanwhile, has reportedly been candid about his desire to remain at Barcelona, with hopes of having his registration issues resolved.

The Spanish midfielder also had his share of injury woes this season, missing 20 games for club and country this season. However, he has still been able to prove himself as a great asset to the squad and also stand out as a top transfer prospect.

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Manchester City has been heavily rumored to be interested in securing Olmo’s services. The Premier League side have identified the midfielder as a suitable replacement for Kevin De Bruyne, who is set to leave this summer, according to Spanish newspaper Sport.

Can Pep Guardiola bring Dani Olmo to Etihad?

Man City head coach Pep Guardiola has reportedly been a fan of Olmo’s efforts on the pitch since the player’s tenure in the Bundesliga.

Several reports have suggested that the Catalan manager considers the midfielder could be a great addition to his squad at Etihad.

While there might be a great demand from the English side, Barcelona are not anticipated to let go of one of their prodigies just like that. 

Olmo has netted eight goals and five assists in 28 appearances across competitions for Barcelona this season. The La Liga giants are expected to put a hefty price of around £50 million for Olmo.

However, City are reportedly ready to match their offer to acquire the Spaniard’s signature.

Rewind to 2019, when Manchester City thrashed Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League. Despite the scoreline, Pep couldn’t help but gush about one particular opposition player.

“He’s a top player – he has a bright future, of course,” Guardiola said. “His performance today shows it. He is an incredible player and I am pretty sure he is able to play in the strong leagues in Europe.”

Now, Olmo is strutting his stuff in La Liga with Barca’s financial issues, and it’s no surprise City are circling again.

He’s the kind of modern footballer who can juggle roles with the flair of a magician — gliding through midfield, picking out killer passes, adding goals, and pressing like a caffeine-fueled greyhound. Oh, and did we mention he’s a Red Bull football school graduate? Pressing? Covered.

Man City are also convinced that Guardiola’s relationship with Olmo can be key in making the signing from Barcelona, according to Fichajes.

Guardiola’s prior admiration and tactical alignment with Olmo’s versatile style might just grease the wheels for a potential transfer.

If City need someone to step into De Bruyne’s boots — or at least lace them up convincingly — Olmo might be the Catalan-approved choice.

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