Man City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that he would have been happy for all of Oleksandr Zinchenko, Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling to stay at the club, if it wasn't for the players' desires to leave for Arsenal and Chelsea respectively.
City have arguably been one of the major winners of this transfer window with the business done both incoming players and outgoings. Norwegian superstar Erling Haaland has signed for a bargain fee of around £51million. Youngster and strike partner for the future Julian Alvarez has also moved to the Etihad Stadium following the transfer that was agreed in January, with Leeds United midfield star Kelvin Phillips also joining.
Brighton's Marc Cucurella could be set to follow suit if the two clubs can agree on a reasonable transfer fee. City could still walk away if the Seagulls prove stubborn in ongoing negotiations, however. In terms of outgoings, Gabriel Jesus' £45million Arsenal switch was the first major move to a London-based club. It's a decision that could backfire against Guardiola's side with the Brazilian hitting the ground running early on in pre-season with the three goals he has netted so far.
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Then came Raheem Sterling's £50million-£55million move to West London which ended up being the first signing of the Todd Boehly era at Chelsea. The 27-year-old has so far only played 45 minutes against Charlotte FC for the Blues but is expected to get more minutes under his belt in the London derby on Sunday between Chelsea and Arsenal.
In his first outing against Charlotte FC, the Man City winger was one of the brightest sparks in Tuchel's second half team. Then came Oleksandr Zinchenko, who had his £32million move confirmed late on Friday. The Ukrainian was present at the Orlando City game is expected to be present but not feature against the Blues in the early hours of Sunday.
Although none of the three players were guaranteed starters in 2021/22 for the Premier League Champions, their importance to Guardiola would have been high as evidenced by the Spaniards admission he made in pre-season.
"No [the outgoings weren't guaranteed] because I was incredibly happy with Gabriel, Oleks and Raheem," Guardiola said via the Manchester Evening News. "If they stayed longer there would be no problem. They proved last year how good they are.
"But sometimes the players want more, and the club feel it is the right moment to do it. But the most important thing is they leave happy with the club and what they have done.
"Normally when you talk about transfers in Spain, Germany, England it is 10% more. It happens and we know it. It happens because they are really good. They are the best ages and their best years are maybe coming now. That’s why they have a value in the market.
"Chelsea and Arsenal have paid the money that is fair. And the discussions were perfect, Txiki [Begiristain] told me. Good for both sides and really friendly."
Guardiola then went to add on each of the three players: "This summer we have bought some exceptional people. And the rest we know each other. And we are sad because Raheem, Gabriel and Oleks were incredibly beloved. Since I arrived in Manchester, the chemistry has been incredible. It makes things good for me."
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