Manchester City’s preparations for the 25/26 campaign continue on Saturday night as Pep Guardiola’s men take on Palermo.
Many changes have taken place at the Premier League giants throughout the summer, as the signing of James Trafford was City’s sixth of the current transfer window.
There have also been changes off the pitch, with Kolo Toure being added to Guardiola’s coaching staff, which followed the arrivals of Pepijn Lijnders and James French.
Following a disappointing 24/25 season, the Man City boss will be hoping that these additions make a big difference; however, the legendary coach has now admitted that he is not entirely happy with the transfer business the Manchester club have done.
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Pep Guardiola wants more Man City players to leave
Guardiola made it clear towards the end of last season that he did not want to work with a big group of players throughout the upcoming campaign, and that is a request Man City have struggled with during the summer, as they have not been able to offload several stars.
Speaking to the press in Italy, Guardiola is more than aware of this and has made it clear that many players still need to leave the Etihad Stadium before the transfer window shuts.
“We need a little bit (fewer numbers),” Guardiola said via the Daily Mail. “I don’t like (lots) of players. A lot of players should leave.
“The transfer window is moving a lot, and many things are going to happen. We’ll see what happens and how we will handle it. We’ll handle it the best as possible.”
James McAtee is one player Man City are currently trying to sell, while they hope Everton make an official move for Jack Grealish before the window shuts.
One player Man City have successfully moved on is Vitor Reis, and Guardiola also shared why the defender was allowed to join Girona on loan for the 25/26 season.
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Pep Guardiola wanted Vitor Reis to play more
It was uncertain what would happen with Vitor Reis this summer, but it became clear that the 19-year-old would leave on loan as the Man City defender wanted to play regularly to give himself a chance of making the Brazil squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Reis’ move to Girona was confirmed on Friday, and speaking about the centre-back’s exit, Guardiola has stated that the youngster left due to City having too many players in their squad.
“One of the reasons why Vitor [Reis] goes to Girona is because of that reason [too many players],” the Spanish coach told the press. “I love Vitor a lot! Incredible future! But I don’t want [players] to be every weekend at home.”
Ederson expects Reis to have a bright future in the sport, and his loan move to La Liga could be the start of an incredible career for the Brazilian at Man City.
