Wilfried Bony and Eliaquim Mangala seem set to be shown the exit door by Manchester City after Pep Guardiola hinted that the pair were not in his plans for the new era at the Etihad. Neither the Ivorian nor the Frenchman made it into the squad for the flight to Sweden to play in a 3-2 friendly defeat to Arsenal, and could leave before the window shuts.
Bony has failed to live up to expectations when he moved to Manchester from Swansea City in a £24 million move in January 2015, struggling to show the same ability which persuaded Manuel Pellegrini and Txiki Begiristain to bring him to the north-west. City reportedly want to recoup as much as possible from the striker as they can, and are looking for offers in the region of £13m.
Meanwhile, defence has continued to be a problem for City even with Mangala in the squad. They conceded the fifth-fewest goals in the league last season, but regardless don’t look comfortable, and have been chasing defenders all summer. John Stones seems likely to sign from Everton, and a system change may be needed in order for Pep to fix the defensive worries.
Speaking to the press after the defeat in Gothenberg, Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News: “Now, in that moment, they are players for Manchester City. Of course, until something happens they will be a player.
“Mangala – same with Sagna – came the last days and Bony, of course, would come because he made a very good pre-season but the problem was three strikers [ahead of him] and to come and maybe don’t play, it’s better to stay there training and that is the reason why.”
The Blues struggled in defence again against The Gunners, and will be hoping to amend those issues before the Premier League opener against Sunderland on Saturday.
