It's been a busy summer so far for Manchester City. Despite landing their third title in four years under Pep Guardiola, a squad rebuild has been taking place.
Gone are key attackers Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus. Despite their starring roles in several title-winning campaigns, with vital goals and assists, Guardiola has shown he is keen to refresh his ranks with the pair moving to rivals Chelsea and Arsenal respectively.
The near £100million City will receive for the duo has already been invested. Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips and Julian Alvarez have all come into the club.
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And in a survey by the MEN, fans have revealed they weren't too fussed about Sterling and Jesus leaving. Voting in our Keep or Sell poll, readers gave their opinion on whether wanted the duo to stay at the Etihad.
The results were overwhelming. Only 17% of readers who voted wanted Brazilian forward Jesus to stay, while Sterling - who was such an integral part of Guardiola's side for a long time - was backed to stay by just 32%.
The rest of the results, meanwhile, showed supporters' confidence in their club’s management, with a unified front when it came to the squad. The two players also heavily linked with a move away from the Etihad this transfer window, Nathan Ake and Oleksandr Zinchenko, both received support from supporters.
Ake had been linked with a big-money return to Chelsea but 75% of fans wanted Guardiola to keep the player.
Zinchenko, however, looks to be on his way out of the club despite 72% of votes going in favour of him staying at the club. The Ukrainian left-back is on the verge of following Jesus to Arsenal as Guardiola looks to cash in.
Fans displayed most confidence in midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, with 98% opting to keep the Belgian at the Etihad for the foreseeable future. This isn’t a surprising result after the 31 year-old was named Player of the Season, and is sure to be a key part of Guardiola’s title charge again.
Man City’s defensive lineup were also highly praised by the results, with more than 96% of supporters backing Ruben Dias, João Cancelo and Aymeric Laporte for the coming season. The survey also showcased the confidence in Ederson, with 96% of fans keeping him. The collective form and work rate of these players gave the club 21 clean sheets last season, and judging by these results, fans are hungry for more.
After signing Aston Villa's Jack Grealish last season, one in ten City supporters would let him go this transfer season. To be fair, the midfielder didn't quite carry over his barnstorming form from Villa, with only three goals in 24 appearances. While 89% of City supporters opted to keep the Englishman, Grealish isn't as highly prized as the core of Man City's squad.
Do you agree?
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