Manchester City fans were left stunned last week after it was reported Txiki Begiristain would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
The Spaniard has been Pep Guardiola‘s right-hand man for years at the Etihad Stadium, and has been the unsung hero of the club’s success in recent years.
He’s been responsible for bringing some superb players to the club, and without his brilliant recruitment, Guardiola may not have been as successful as he has been.
Begiristain will take a sabbatical after leaving Man City, before then returning to the game. He will apparently not retire.
City have confirmed the news that Begiristain is moving on, and also confirmed that Hugo Viana will be his replacement.
The Sporting CP sporting director is the chosen one, and there’s no doubt he’ll have fantastic knowledge of players in the Liga Portugal especially.
Manchester City News takes a look at some current players in the division Viana might consider signing for City.
Ousmane Diomande – Sporting CP – Central defender
It may soon be time for City to sign a new central defender.
Guardiola has some fantastic options at the moment, but three of them – John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake – are in and around the age of 30.
That is by no means ‘old’. But there may be a feeling that a younger option needs to be brought in for the future.
Viana obviously knows Ousmane Diomande’s talents very well.
The Ivory Coast international joined the club a couple of years ago from FC Midtjylland and has gone on to establish himself as one of the best defenders in the division, and one of the most promising young centre-backs in all of Europe.
Man City have been linked with Diomande before,and maybe Viana will really push for this signing to be made. He is protected by a £67 million release clause (via Record) though, so he would not come cheap.
Morten Hjulmand – Sporting CP – Defensive midfielder
Rodri will likely be back fit again for the start of the 2025/26 season – but Manchester City still need to bring in an out-and-out defensive midfielder.
There have been links to the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Adam Wharton.
But Viana may vouch for a player he again knows very well in Morten Hjulmand. Signed from Italian side Lecce in 2023, Hjulmand has really impressed at Sporting so far.
He replaced Manuel Ugarte in midfield after he left to join Paris Saint-Germain, and his manager Ruben Amorim deemed him ‘more complete’ than both Ugarte and the recently departed Joao Palhinha (via O Jogo).
Hjulmand was named in the Team of the Season for 2023/24, and having shown brilliant leadership throughout the campaign, the Denmark international assumed the captain’s armband after Sebastian Coates left for Nacional.
Potentially, he might just make for a decent signing for City and someone who can cover for Rodri without there being too much of a drop-off.
He’d almost certainly be cheaper than Guimaraes or Wharton as well.
Anatoliy Trubin – Benfica – Goalkeeper
There is a strong possibility that Ederson will leave Man City next summer.
Ederson said Guardiola convinced him to stay at City in the last window, but he’ll only have one year left on his contract next summer and it’s very possible the Brazilian could finally make that move to Saudi Arabia. Ederson was approached by Al-Ittihad in the last window, and they could come calling again.
City may look to promote Stefan Ortega to the number one position, and he may feel the shirt should be his, after signing a new contract.
But perhaps City will move for a younger stopper to compete with the German.
Anatoliy Trubin impressed in his first season at Benfica, after signing from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2023.
The 6ft 6in star is a brilliant shot-stopper, but crucially, is also very good with his feet and has a wonderful passing range according to Breaking The Lines.
Benfica do a lot of building from the back so, he sees a lot of the ball and is unfazed when being pressed. The Ukraine number one is certainly someone worth Viana’s consideration if Ederson does move on.
