Seventh, outside the Europa League spots and four points from the Champions League zone. Manchester City, in free fall, is already 12 points behind Liverpool.
It's the worst of the nine seasons of Pep Guardiola leading Manchester City, a club with which he has renewed until 2027.
Pep Prepares a Revolution in City's Team
Pep plans to leave the benches by then—at least the club benches—while waiting for an interesting offer from a national team.
By then, Guardiola wants to leave Manchester City at the top, so his memory is unforgettable at Etihad Stadium.
To do this, he needs to make a revolution in a team that has grown tired of winning and lost its hunger. That revolution has a cornerstone on which the new project must be built.
It's about Barcelona's Pedri. Manchester City sees him as the leader who must return the citizen team to the heights. Pedri has the characteristics that Ilkay Gündogan can no longer offer, whose return to Etihad has been a fiasco.
Guardiola Swaps Gündogan for Pedri
Guardiola has called his friend Joan Laporta and communicated City's interest in his player. He knows that Barça can't reject an offer of this level.
Initially, Barça doesn't have its young homegrown talents for sale. Nor Pedri, who arrived very young and is considered just like another homegrown player. However, the need to bring in revenue will eventually force the operation.
As of today, Pedri is a essential piece in Flick's plans, but he's not indispensable. Flick awaits the return of Marc Bernal, his favorite, after his injury. The blaugrana team will count on his presence, along with Casadó, Gavi, and Fermín to cover his position.
Flick's Wild Card
Additionally, Flick is keeping a wild card. It's the young German prospect from the reserve team Nohan Darvich, 18 years old. Darvich is on the launch pad and will end up playing in the first team in the second half of the season.
Barça will earn 100 million, City will get its desired piece, and Flick will rely on the homegrown players to cover his absence. It will undoubtedly be the next summer's top operation.