Manchester City shock: Furious Pep Guardiola planning huge summer clear-out of flops - 7M sport

Manchester City shock: Furious Pep Guardiola planning huge summer clear-out of flops



Posted Tuesday, January 17, 2017 by Express.co.uk

Manchester City shock: Furious Pep Guardiola planning huge summer clear-out of flops
Pep Guardiola wants to get rid of his Manchester City flops

PEP GUARDIOLA is planning a mass clear-out this summer in a bid to re-build Manchester City.

Manchester City's heavy defeat at Everton only confirmed Pep Guardiola's fears that he does not have all the players he needs to handle his possession-based philosophy – he has inherited too many ageing stars whose best days are behind them and have found it difficult to adapt to his demands.

Players like Yaya Toure, Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Jesus Navas and Willy Caballero are all out of contract and will not be offered new deals.

Aleksandar Kolarov could also be on the way out, as could skipper Vincent Kompany if he fails to recover from his long-term injury problems.

City will also try to agree permanent deals for four stars Guardiola off-loaded on loan last summer – Joe Hart, Samir Nasri, Wilfried Bony and Eliaquim Mangala.

City have brought in several younger players over the last 18 months that they see as forming the backbone for the future – Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, John Stones, Leroy Sane and Brazilian new boy Gabriel Jesus, who is still waiting for clearance to play.

But Guardiola wants more this summer when he is likely to compete with Manchester United for Antoine Griezmann and make a renewed bid to buy Aymeric Laporte, who rejected his overtures and decided to stay with Athletic Bilbao last summer, and Bayern Munich's David Alaba.

Toure invited ridicule when he claimed City did not play badly at Everton and were unlucky. And the veteran midfielder said the players must stick together in a bid to get back on track against Tottenham on Saturday.

"When you look at the result – 4-0 – it looks like we played badly but we didn't play so badly," he said. "We were unlucky from my point of view.

"I don't think we lack spirit. The guys were there. Sometimes football is unfair. For me, it was just unlucky – all the bounces of the ball, the crosses just not finished, the defence not being so strong, the midfield not being so strong. It was a consequence of bad luck. We have to try to be positive for the next game and look forward.

"Everybody has his opinion on why we lost and on those kind of goals, everybody is going say, 'This guy this or that' but at the moment we have to be all together. The league is still long. We have to try to do the business on Saturday."

Guardiola admitted that fifth-placed City's title hopes are over but Toure refuses to give up yet despite the 10-point gap on leaders Chelsea.

"In the Premier League everything is possible," he said. "In football you have to be positive. I am a positive guy. I know it is tough sometimes but you have to accept that and continue to work hard and we will have the chance. We just have to win a couple of games and everything will come back again."



Attention: Third parties may advertise their products and/or services on our website.7M does not warrant the accuracy, adequacy or completeness of their contents.
Your dealings with such third parties are solely between you and such third parties and we shall not be liable in any way for any loss or damage of any sort incurred by you.