Manchester City head into the international with a mixed start to the season and an equally mixed summer transfer window that saw them break the Premier League record by signing Jack Grealish. But at the same time, they have missed out on the pursuit of multiple star players including Harry Kane. Perhaps more importantly, the English champions have shipped out multiple players permanently over the summer.
Here, at The 4th Official, we will rank Manchester City’s permanent departures, including the likes of Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia on a scale of 1 to 10, judging how their exit could affect Pep Guardiola’s team in the new season.
Rating Man City’s Permanent Departures This Summer
Angelino 4/10
Angelino was the earliest departure for Man City as his permanent deal to RB Leipzig was announced at the halfway point of last season. However, it was perhaps not the ideal move for Guardiola, given how the Spaniard has shone in the Bundesliga.
His attacking prowess, versatility and technical abilities could have made him an ideal first-team option for Man City, especially now with Benjamin Mendy suspended, effectively leaving Guardiola with just one recognised option at left-back.
Sergio Aguero 7/10
Sergio Aguero was by far the biggest departure from Etihad Stadium this summer. The long-serving attacker put his decade long spell at Man City to an end when he joined Barcelona on a free transfer. Unfortunately for the club, his departure has created a massive void in the goalscoring department, especially after the club failed to sign a centre forward in the summer.
However, given Aguero’s age and minimal impact last season, it was a perfect time for Man City to move on. And while the Citizens may have failed to sign a proper forward this summer, his departure does open up an opportunity for Guardiola to target multiple stars next summer, including Erling Haaland and Harry Kane.
Eric Garcia 8/10
Eric Garcia was another Man City player to follow Aguero towards Barcelona. He also joined the club on a free transfer, after running down his contract at Etihad last season.
The young defender’s departure makes a lot of sense for Manchester City, who already have an abundance of quality centre-backs at their disposal. Garcia himself has endured a halt in his progress over the 12 months, so the club won’t really be fazed by his exit this season.
Jack Harrison 10/10
After a plethora of loan spells elsewhere, Manchester City finally offloaded Jack Harrison in the summer for a fee of €12.8 million. It was a good deal for the English champions, who clearly had no future at Etihad and could now hope to continue his development at Leeds United, under the leadership of Marcelo Bielsa this season.
Lukas Nmecha 5/10
Lukas Nmecha was perhaps the most interesting departure for Manchester City in the summer. The German forward was heading into the new season on the back of a successful loan campaign with RSC Anderlecht as well as the Germany U21 squad, with the player leading his nation to glory in the UEFA U21 European Championship. It was enough to convince VfL Wolfsburg to spend €8 million on the 22-year-old.
It was a masterstroke from the Bundesliga giants, but as far as Man City are concerned, keeping hold of the German might not have been a bad idea. Although Nmecha is still a work-in-progress and may not provide the technical astuteness of someone like Gabriel Jesus, but he certainly could have been one of Guardiola’s wild card options, in that vacant number nine slot next season.
