Gabby Agbonlahor has made a claim about a reported Manchester City target.
Agbonlahor revealed that Jack Grealish shared Pep Guardiola’s no-nonsense approach behind the scenes with him.
The £378,846-a-week man seems to remain as motivated as ever to win silverware heading into his ninth season as Manchester City boss — judging by Grealish’s assessment.
However, Pep Guardiola revealed in his pre-match press conference via HaytersTV that most of his squad is likely to remain the same unless players depart the club.
But it was reported on Monday that if Kevin De Bruyne were to leave the club, Manchester City would target the £68 million-rated Eberechi Eze this summer.
- Man City summer transfer window 2024: Confirmed signings, departures, loan exits and releases
Gabby Agbonlahor gives his honest verdict on if Eberechi Eze joined Man City
Eze is one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League — as demonstrated by his sparkling showings since joining Crystal Palace in 2020.
The Englishman’s quick feet, technical excellence and ability to glide past players makes him a player would Pep Guardiola would enjoy working with in theory.
At 26, the former Queens Park Rangers attacker is also in the prime of his career.
However, Gabby Agbonlahor has revealed why he does not wish to see Eze sign for Manchester City in the summer.
On talkSPORT (22/07/2024, 4:53 pm), he said: “I don’t want [Eberechi] Eze to go to Manchester City. I want Eze to go to a team where he can be free. Eze is at his best when he is gliding past midfielders. Look at his form for Crystal Palace. 11 goals, four assists last season. He is gliding past players and his finishing has got better.”
Strange suggestion about why Eze should not join Man City
It seems like Gabby Agbonlahor has insinuated that if Eze signed for Manchester City, his freedom as a player would be snatched away by Pep Guardiola.
However, that is far from the truth.
Guardiola merely has certain fundamentals in his setup that Eze would have to adhere to if he made the move to the Etihad Stadium; learning when to retain possession and when to take risks, taking up a specific position, helping City sustain pressure and tracking back.
However, in possession, Pep Guardiola grants his players the freedom to act according to their natural instincts, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden often trying the spectacular whether it is going for goal from range or bursting past players.
Similarly, Eze would be given the same license and if his game was restricted provided he is deployed on the wing, much like Grealish, that would merely occur due to his limitations as a wide player.
But as demonstrated during Jeremy Doku’s debut season at the club, if a player is comfortable out wide, they are allowed to express themselves, even if their risks do not always come off.
