Manchester City have sold a significant number of players in previous summer transfer windows.
One of those players includes Tosin Adarabioyo, who after working his way through City’s youth academy and making eight senior appearances for the club, was sold in 2020.
Specifically, Pep Guardiola’s side sold the defender to Fulham in a deal worth a reported fee of £2m (via 90Min) during the 2020 summer transfer window.
After spending four years at Craven Cottage, the 27-year-old made the short move to Stamford Bridge, joining Chelsea as a free agent last summer – joining fellow former City academy graduate Cole Palmer in doing so.
Now though, the ex-City academy graduate has taken aim at his former club and their status as one of football’s elite.
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Tosin Adarabioyo makes Man City ‘big club’ dig
In a recent press conference, Adarabioyo was asked if he is glad to be back playing in a big club environment after spending 18 years on the books at City, giving this response.
He said: “Most definitely. Like you said I was at Man City for 18 years from the age of five, which wasn’t always a big club, by the way.”
City have always been a big club
After a shaky period in the club’s history during the late 1990s, the 2008 Abu Dhabi takeover has seen City go from a side pushing to play in Europe to one of the world’s best sides.
| Manchester City 2008 – 2024 | Premier League | FA Cup | League Cup | Supercup | Club World Cup | Champions League | Community Shield |
| Trophies Won | 8 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
While City have not always been the dominant force in England and Europe they are now, it seems odd that Adarabioyo would mention the club’s status as a big club seeing as how they’ve been an established Premier League side since 2002 when Adarabioyo initially joined the club at the age of five.
Also, even when the Blues were in the lower leagues, they were still passionately supported with big number of attendances at their matches.
On a final note, the defender’s current club were also not as big as they are now and have been since Roman Abramovic took over Chelsea back in 2003.
