Pep Guardiola will certainly have his hands full at this moment in time.
The £378,846-a-week manager is known to be one who has always been incredibly dedicated — which is perhaps why he would likely be enjoying Manchester City’s return to football after Euro 2024.
City’s pre-season tour of the United States has come to an end, which means Guardiola will be preparing how to set his side up ahead of next season.
The Catalan will also be hoping to ensure his Manchester City side get results while playing their best possible football from the very start of the campaign.
But with some of his biggest names such as Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and John Stones to name a few having not participated in pre-season, they could potentially take time to get into the groove.
Guardiola will have plenty of difficult decisions to make during the first few weeks of the season.
Additionally, the Sky Blues boss will also keep a close eye on how to manage his squad if players come and go.
With Julian Alvarez tipped to leave Manchester City this summer, Pep Guardiola will also be mulling over how to replace him if his exit is finalised.
Atletico Madrid is one club who think they can secure Alvarez’s services in the the transfer window.
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Manchester City granted the chance to sign Joao Felix on loan
If the World Cup winner does leave the Etihad Stadium, it would be interesting to see how City decided to replace him.
Whether the English giants decided opt for an in-house solution, a brand-new striker or a forward player would be the question.
It is a challenge for even recruits of City’s ilk to find as readymade a second-choice number nine as the Argentine.
In today’s day and age, if there is one position that is no longer associated with the world-class quality it was in the previous decade, it is up front.
Luckily for Manchester City, they can be relieved that Erling Haaland leads the line for them.
However, City would have every reason to be concerned if Haaland was unavailable and the Copa America winner’s exit meant they lacked a suitable replacement for their star striker.
A fresh report by the Daily Mail has claimed that Atletico Madrid have offered Manchester City the chance to sign Joao Felix in a swap deal involving Julian Alvarez — who the club wish to sell for £75 million followed by £10 million in add-ons.
However, the Spanish side would be willing to let City sign him on a season-long loan deal where they would have the option to sign Felix at the end of the campaign.
The report also claims that City’s interest in the Portuguese international — who Roberto Martinez dubbed as a “world-class player” via Mundo Deportivo — has predated his loan stint at Chelsea.
Joao Felix would not add anything new to Man City
Felix undoubtedly has a lot of natural talent.
But the question is whether he would bring anything new that the likes of Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne do not offer.
Unlike Foden and De Bruyne, Felix has always struggled to produce end product.
The 24-year-old’s loan spell at Chelsea was promising, as was his stint at Barcelona but he struggled to set the world alight and is yet to at Atletico Madrid as well.
With Manchester City possessing enough attacking midfielders at their disposal, with Foden, Bernardo Silva and Bobb also capable of playing as a makeshift striker, Felix’s arrival would not particularly benefit Pep Guardiola’s side.
