Manchester City transfer news

MANCHESTER CITY fans have been left heartbroken after Pep Guardiola’s brutal substitution U-turn.The champions were leading Crystal Palace 4-1 yesterday when the boss was about to turn to his bench for the third time.Sergio Gomez was ready to come on – only for Pep Guardiola to change his mindSergio Gomez has barely played this seasonCredit: ReutersGuardiola was going to bring on forgotten star Sergio Gomez, who has started just four matches in all competitions this season.The left-back was seen on the bench pulling his shirt on with a beaming smile on his face.But Odsonne Edouard then pulled one back for Palace to make it 4-2.The goal saw Guardiola change his mind and with him not in the mood for taking chances amid the title race, Gomez was told to sit back down in the dugout.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLFans felt sorry for the 23-year-old Spaniard as he again failed to make an appearance.One said: “I feel so bad for him at this point.”Another added: “He’s 23, turning 24 around the start of next season. He has to go in the summer to save his career.”A third commented: “I feel bad for him, not because he didn’t play but because Pep basically said he doesn’t trust him with a two-goal advantage. Must be the worst feeling as a player.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERMore reacted: “I feel sorry for him he’s so good. I don’t know why he’s not getting some minutes.”Some fans believe he lost Guardiola’s faith when he was sent off in the Champions League group stage game against Copenhagen last year.Every Premier League club’s most famous and also most surprising fanGomez was a youngster at Barcelona and got his breakthrough at Borussia Dortmund.He convinced Man City to sign him on a four-year deal in 2022 after impressing at Belgian side Anderlecht.Gomez has featured 13 times in all competitions this season and he was in the starting XI on just ten occasions last term as City won the Treble. More

THE FORMER most-expensive defender on the planet has admitted that he WASN’T WORTH the £42million Manchester City paid for him.The eight-time capped France international Eliaquim Mangala arrived at the Etihad in 2014 from Porto.Manchester City forked out £42m for Eliaquim Mangala in 2014Credit: PA:Press AssociationThe fee made him the most-expensive player on the planet but he struggled at the EtihadCredit: PA:Empics SportManuel Pellegrini splashed out the huge fee for him but he struggled to firmly establish himself at City.Mangala did make 31 and then 33 appearances under the Chilean during his first two years there.But he was soon deemed surplus to requirements once Pep Guardiola took charge in 2016.Mangala managed to get a Premier League winners’ medal in the 2017/18 campaign, which came in between loan spells away at Valencia in LaLiga and Everton.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLHe eventually left City as a free agent in 2019 once his contract had expired and joined Valencia permanently for two seasons.He then headed to France for a stint at Saint-Etienne but now, at the age of 33, is lining-up for Portuguese side Estoril.The veteran centre-half has this week sat down with French outlet Le10 Sport to discuss his big-money move a decade ago to England.And in a refreshing twist, he claims that he was worth nowhere near the £42m fee paid for him.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERMangala said: “When I was told at the time that it was over €50m, and €50m was a lot of money… But no man is worth €50m!“When you’re part of an industry, a business, you inevitably enter into a logic that goes beyond normal life, but nobody is worth this or that price.Jack Grealish’s dog did ‘the biggest s***’ on Man City’s training pitch as England star reveals unusual habits“It doesn’t make sense.“But it was a real experience to go through that. I really enjoyed it.“I said, you’ll see in one or two years, this record will be broken, and it was.”These days City have the second most expensive defender of ALL TIME on their books.That is after they paid RB Leipzig £78m for Josko Gvardiol last summer.The Croatian is only behind Harry Maguire – who joined Manchester United for £80m in 2019.Mangala had a spell on loan at Everton before leaving on a free transferCredit: ReutersThe centre-half, pictured at Saint-Etienne, now plays for Portuguese side EstorilCredit: Getty More

KALVIN PHILLIPS would have to accept a huge pay cut to return to Leeds United, according to reports.The midfielder has suffered a difficult few years since leaving Elland Road.Kalvin Phillips would have to accept a wage reduction to re-join LeedsCredit: GettyLeeds are hopeful of signing their former star if they return to the Premier LeagueCredit: ReutersHe failed to break into the Manchester City first-team and is now struggling to recapture his form on loan at West Ham.That means he could begin a new chapter in the summer and his boyhood club Leeds are an option.Daniel Farke’s side would first need to secure promotion to land the England star, and might have to fight off interest from a number of other clubs.They would also have to persuade Phillips to take a drastic pay cut from his £150,000 weekly wage, report the Daily Star.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLLeeds’ current highest earner is Patrick Bamford on £70,000-a-week.But Phillips could be willing to leave his mega-money City contract to return to Elland Road, where he remains a cult hero.City are also said to be open to letting him leave – for around £25million.That could spark a bid from Newcastle, who hold a long-term interest in the 28-year-old.Most read in FootballPhillips’ West Ham loan is a disaster… it’s toe-curlingly difficult to watch, says Dave KiddBy Dave Kidd

HE’S had an extraordinary career, Kalvin Phillips.
A Treble-winner and one of only 12 living Englishmen to have started the final of a major international tournament.
A home-town hero at Leeds, where he was the kingpin of Marcelo Bielsa’s buccaneering Championship-winning side and feted as the ‘Yorkshire Pirlo’.
England’s Player of the Year in 2021, when the Three Lions reached a final for the first time in more than half a century.
Indeed, Phillips has featured in most of England’s best wins of the last three years — against Germany and Denmark at those Euros, home and away in qualifiers against Italy, against a Belgium side ranked No 1 in the world, the World Cup thrashing of Senegal and in last autumn’s hammering of the Scots.
That record for Gareth Southgate’s side points to a great irony.
If Phillips had stayed put as a Manchester City bench-warmer, he would be going to Germany this summer and quite possibly as a starter.
The mighty man-bun man has been a fine footballer and, at 28, he might become one again.
Phillips is also a good bloke too, much-loved in the England squad and attracting a full house from the entire Leeds staff when the club held a leaving do before his Etihad move in a £45million deal.
But right now Phillips has become unwatchable. Toe-curling, cringeworthy, hide-behind-the-sofa-the-Daleks-are-coming levels of unwatchable.
His loan switch to West Ham, which originally looked sensible for club and player, is an unmitigated disaster.
And it feels as if Phillips is at the centre of a football-wide conspiracy which has deemed that anything which could go wrong, will go wrong.

BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERPhillips’ West Ham spell has been nothing short of a disaster.He gave away a goal on debut and was sent off in just his second appearance for the club.’He’s wasting his time playing’ – Ex-Premier League referee bizarrely tears into Kalvin Phillips for getting sent off While he also conceded a penalty after coming on against Newcastle on Sunday – a game the Hammers lost despite leading 3-1 at the point Phillips came on.To make matters even worse Phillips swore at a fan as he boarded the team bus after the match.Phillips swore at a fan after the Newcastle gameCredit: X/westhamnetwork More