Manchester City will have a new sporting director in place for the 2025/26 season.
After the news broke that Txiki Begiristain will leave City in the summer, it was then announced by the club that Hugo Viana will be replacing the 60-year-old at the Etihad Stadium following the end of the current campaign.
More recently, a report from The Athletic said this about the transfer blueprint Viana will be inheriting at City.
It said: “In terms of the playing staff, Begiristain wants each position to have at least two players comfortable playing there, ideally with an age gap between them, so there is an inbuilt succession plan.
“The intention to have succession plans woven into the squad essentially reflects how the club and wider group are run, on both football and business fronts.”
Now though, some behind-the-scenes details have emerged regarding one well-known figure who could play a big role with Viana about how City go about their transfer plans.
- Who is Hugo Viana? Get familiar with the favourite to replace Txiki Begiristain as Man City Director of Football
Viana appointment could see Jorge Mendes be more involved at City
A recent report from the Daily Mail said this on the matter.
It said: “Hugo Viana’s appointment as Manchester City’s incoming sporting director has raised industry whispers about the influence super-agent Jorge Mendes will have on the club’s future recruitment.
“Sporting Lisbon chief Viana, 41, will replace Txiki Begiristain, who is leaving the Etihad Stadium at the end of the season, is known to have a close relationship with Mendes, who looks after the interests of some of the world’s biggest names.
“And there is now an expectation that Mendes will become more active with City deals in the future given his links to Viana.”
Which young players does Mendes have as clients?
Interestingly, Mendes’ first transfer deal involving an English club came back in 2002 when Newcastle United signed City’s incoming director, with the Tyneside club paying €12m to sign Viana (via These Football Times).
In addition to being the agent of current figures in City’s squad such as Ederson, Matheus Nunes, Ruben Dias and Bernardo Silva, Mendes has numerous other clients.
Assuming Viana turns to Mendes to bring in some young players at the Manchester club to fit in with their succession blueprint, listed below are some of the younger clients the agent has on the books at Gestifute.
- Warren Zaire-Emery
- Joao Neves
- Alejandro Balde
- Antonio Silva
- Francisco Conceicao
- Bradley Barcola
- Goncalo Ramos
- Rayan Ait-Nouri
While there’s no certainty that any of these listed players could be on their way to Pep Guardiola’s side in the future, it gives an idea of the type of figures Viana could use Mendes to help secure deals for over the next years.
Despite all that, City’s main focus for now will be to win as many trophies as possible before the big change involving Begiristain and Viana takes place in the summer.
