Joao Cancelo is officially no longer a Manchester City player.
The full-back completed a move to Al-Hilal yesterday, finally bringing his stint at the Etihad Stadium to an end.
The Portugal international had not played for City since January 2023, when he reportedly fell out with Pep Guardiola over game time.
Cancelo joined Bayern Munich for the rest of that season, and then moved to Barcelona last term.
Barca had wanted to re-sign the player. But in the end, their financial situation did not allow it, and City have managed to sell him to Saudi outfit Al-Hilal for a reported fee of £21 million.
Cancelo had rejoined the City squad earlier this summer but was not a part of the club’s pre-season tour of the US, with Pep against the idea.
He was given time to facilitate his exit, and that has now come to pass.
Cancelo’s exit was expected, and now, there is talk of who might be the next bearer of the number 7 shirt he has just vacated.
Man City fans think Oscar Bobb or Savinho should take Joao Cancelo’s number 7 shirt
When Cancelo joined City back in the summer of 2019, he initially took the number 27 shirt.
But when Raheem Sterling left the club to join Chelsea, Cancelo then took the number 7 shirt. He had worn the number at both Inter and Valencia previously.
It was a move that perhaps confirmed Cancelo’s status as an attacking full-back, and a decision that underlined him as a real technician.
City fans have now been discussing on social media who they think should be the next player to take the number 7 shirt following Cancelo’s exit.
It is not out of the question that a new signing could come in this week and wear it.
But some fans feel it should go to a player who is already in the first-team – and many would love that player to be the hugely talented and highly promising Oscar Bobb.
There are other City fans who reckon new signing Savinho would be a good option to be the new number seven.
Savinho, of course, has only just arrived at City and he selected the number 26 shirt having idolised Riyad Mahrez growing up.
The Brazilian would surely suit being the number 7. But him changing to 7 feels like something that would be more likely next summer. So if City kept it vacant until then, perhaps he could be an option.
Some other shouts included Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and new signing Ilkay Gundogan.
Oscar Bobb makes sense
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He may possibly not be able to play until the end of 2024 after fracturing his leg in training, but many City fans would no doubt love to see Oscar Bobb be given the number 7 shirt.
He now looks ready for a greater role within the first-team, and him wearing the number 7 shirt would feel very fitting.
Currently, he is sporting the number 52 shirt which he wore last season.
But the club could still decide to change that and offer to refund fans who already bought the shirt with his name and current number.
Bobb is destined for big things, and a more iconic shirt number would not go amiss.
