Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City squad is set to look very different next season.
Following a tough 2024/25 campaign, major changes have occurred both on and off the pitch at the Etihad Stadium in recent weeks, with Pepijn Lijnders joining Man City’s coaching staff, while four new stars have arrived in Manchester ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Kevin De Bruyne’s time in the Premier League has come to an end, but other exits are set to follow before the 2025/26 campaign gets underway, as it looks like Ilkay Gundogan could be set for a Man City exit.
There has been a lot of talk around one star in particular, and with the player’s exit likely, ESPN pundit Frank Leboeuf has stated that he should have never moved to Man City in the first place.
Frank Leboeuf thinks Jack Grealish made a mistake joining Man City
Jack Grealish arrived at Man City during the summer of 2021 as part of a £100m deal with Aston Villa, and the winger’s career at the Etihad Stadium has not gone to plan.
Last season was the 29-year-old’s worst in Manchester, and with Man City leaving Grealish out of their FIFA Club World Cup squad, Leboeuf thinks the player made a mistake joining a Guardiola team, as the legendary manager’s style never suited the former Villa star.
“At first, it’s very sad, because when he was playing for Aston Villa, that guy was absolutely talented and crazy good,” Leboeuf said on ESPN FC.
“I think I have to say, I really think that he picked the wrong club, in a way that we know how Guardiola is making his players play, and that doesn’t, for me, didn’t fit Grealish’s way of playing. He’s a free horse.
“He does whatever he wants. That was what made him so good, when he was playing for Aston Villa and for City, you have tactics. You have something very precise, you have to do, and maybe it didn’t fit Grealish’s way of thinking about football.”
Everton and Newcastle are the two clubs currently fighting for Grealish’s signature as the winger is expected to leave Man City on loan ahead of the new season.
Wherever he chooses to go next, the 29-year-old needs to ensure he gets minutes, as that is crucial if the Englishman has hopes of going to the 2026 World Cup.
- READ MORE: Michael Owen now shares the ‘whispers’ he has been hearing about Jack Grealish at Man City
Jack Grealish’s career at Man City was not a failure
Grealish’s career at Man City has had highs and lows, with the 2022/23 campaign being the only season the winger performed at his best consistently.
This has been the Englishman’s downfall because at a club like Man City, this is a necessity as there are always great players ready to take the place of a star who is underperforming.
| Season | Games | Goals | Assists | Minutes |
| 24/25 | 32 | 3 | 5 | 1521 |
| 23/24 | 36 | 3 | 3 | 2114 |
| 22/23 | 50 | 5 | 11 | 3487 |
| 21/22 | 39 | 6 | 4 | 2730 |
Outside of the 2022/23 season, Grealish’s best tally of goal contributions has been 10, which falls well short of what is expected of a £100m star.
However, it is hard to call the Englishman’s move to Man City a failure due to all the trophies he has won, but from an individual point of view, the player himself will be disappointed that he could not do more.
