After Manchester City lost to Arsenal in the Community Shield, Pep Guardiola admitted that he hopes Kyle Walker stays at the Etihad Stadium.
As shared by City’s official website, the Spanish tactician responded to the question marks surrounding the £50 million (Guardian) man’s future.
Pep Guardiola openly said that his priority remains to see Kyle Walker prolong his time at Manchester City after his side’s defeat to Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola says he hopes Kyle Walker will stay at Manchester City after his side’s Community Shield defeat to Arsenal
Branded as ‘irreplaceable’ by Pep Guardiola, the 33-year-old remains the best defensive full-back in the world, renowned for keeping wingers of the calibre of Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Jr. at bay.
While the likes of Manuel Akanji and John Stones have ably deputised for him at right-back, the pair, much like any other defender in Europe is not fit to lace his boots in 1v1 situations.
Now, Pep Guardiola said after his side’s defeat to Arsenal on Sunday that he is hoping and praying that Kyle Walker stays at Manchester City.
“Seven years together and working, he’s so important for us and hopefully, he can stay. At the end, we have one more year of the contract, it’s not the end of the contract so if someone wants him, they have to talk to the club. Like in the case of Bernardo [Silva], so we want him to stay because they are so important for us.”
Keeping Kyle Walker for another season would be worth its weight in gold
Pep Guardiola is justified in hoping for Kyle Walker to stay at Manchester City as he showcased against Arsenal once again why he is a defensive behemoth, keeping Gabriel Martinelli quiet.
With Rico Lewis still a young prospect as well as the likes of Manuel Akanji and John Stones not being as foolproof as him in wide 1v1 situations, the England international’s exit could particularly cost City in the Champions League and against elite opposition in general.
Also, Walker is one of the captains at the club and has a wealth of experience under his belt, which would make his departure a loss after other big-names such as Gundogan and Mahrez left in the same summer, which makes his stay all the more important.
