Embedded Files
Realistic Dream Man City Squad For 25/26 Season
By Noah Solovey
Manchester City have suffered a woeful 24/25 campaign, and reports have already emerged that the club is looking to rebuild in the incoming Summer Transfer Window ahead of the Club World Cup and 25/26 Premier League Season. The legendary Kevin De Bruyne has already confirmed his exit, and journalists suggest others such as Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva could also depart this summer. Man City is staring at a new generation, and many wonder what their team will look like next season.
Goalkeepers:
Current:
Ederson
Ortega
Carson
Man City currently retains Ederson, their first-choice keeper, Stefan Ortega, who plays as a backup, and Scott Carson, a reserve player who bumps the vibe in the locker room. Ederson’s contract runs until June 30th, 2026, and is it time for Man City to cash in while he fades out of his best years? Ortega’s contract also expires in June 2026, and will he seek an exit wanting more minutes? Scott Carson’s contract runs until June 30th, 2025, so will city renew his deal, or has the time come for the 39-year-old to hang up his boots? Loads of questions have been asked about Man City’s keeping situation, so is it time for a refresh?
Decisions:
Sell Ederson
Keep Ortega
Renew Carson
Purchase Diogo Costa
Selling Ederson: I personally think Ederson’s performances have dipped a lot over the past few years, and even though Ederson is a magician with the ball at his feet, I think his time is up. If Man City are looking to ride into a new generation, Ederson is not a player to keep in the squad.
Replacing with Costa: Costa to me seems like the perfect replacement for Ederson, apart from one major flaw. Costa is extremely young, and we saw what he was capable of at the Euros. Man City have struggled to keep clean sheets, and Diogo Costa’s FBRef clean sheet percentage is 96%. Costa has also been linked with the club for some time now (according to @MirrorFootball), and I would love him except for one problem: his distribution and passing ability are weak. Ederson was known for his assists and distribution, and Costa might struggle to adapt to his playstyle. While he may not be a carbon copy of Ederson, Diogo could mimic his shot-stopping and goalkeeping skills well. An alternative is Lucas Chevalier from Lille, who was a standout performer for Lille this season, but he might be a little too young to start for a club like Man City. Give him a few more years at Lille, and he will move to a world-class club. Michelle Di Gregoria was most recently linked to City, but I’m not his biggest fan either.
Keeping Ortega: Ortega is a great keeper who could shine in a league like the Serie A and Bundesliga, but I think he enjoys Manchester Life and is okay with being a second choice. If he wants to leave, we should let him go with ease, but we don’t need to force him out.
Renewing Carson: Scott Carson generally makes everyone at Man City happier, and why not have him hang around for the fun of it? He is not going to play, but his affect in the locker room is immense, and keeping him might be crucial in hard times.
Squad Rebuild:
Diogo Costa
Stefan Ortega
Scott Carson
Defenders
Current:
Manuel Akanji
Nathan Ake
Juma Bah
Ruben Dias
Josko Gvardiol
Matheus Nunes
Abdukodir Khusanov
Rico Lewis
Nico O’Reilly
Vitor Reis
John Stones
Kyle Walker
Joshua Wilson-Esbrand
“Shaky at the back” are pretty common words to describe Man City’s defense this season. Injuries have also forced midfielders to adapt their styles to more defensive mentalities. Khusanov, Reis, and Bah all came in during the winter window but Bah was sent on a short term loan and Khusanov and Reis have gotten little minutes. Khusanov had a magnificent run after his audacious debut against Chelsea but after Nico O’Reilly and Matheus Nunes moved into the fullback roles, he hasn’t gotten a single minute since. Man City have made many errors, and have been especially vulnerable on the right, so is it time for a defensive rebuild?
Decisions:
Sell Akanji, Ake, Nunes, Stones, Walker, Wilson-Esbrand
Keep Dias, Gvardiol, Khusanov, Lewis, O’Reilly, Reis
Loan Bah
Purchase Cambiaso, Kerkez, Wesley
Selling Akanji, Ake, Stones, Walker: What is the relation between all of these players? They were all in the treble winning Manchester City team. I feel like that team was the definition of the generation we need to move past, and these players have all started slowing down and picking up constant injuries. Stones has to move out for the good of his own body. He plays two games and then gets injured again! Akanji and Ake both are picking up more injuries and aren’t as composed as they once were. Walker is definitely gone, he has received hate for his poor defending and lack of pace, which he was once known for being the fastest player in the Premier League.
Selling Nunes and Wilson-Esbrand: I was really on the fence about Nunes and Lewis. They both will play backups at Manchester City, and I had to chose one to get rid of. I think Matheus Nunes has the potential to become a star and Man City just isn’t the place. Pep pretty much told him he wasn’t ittelgent enough to play midfield, so Pep stuck him in as a worst-case scenario right-back. He had the opportunity to flourish, but his pace and physicality were his only strong points, and his defensive liabilities were showcased every week. I think Nunes could make the perfect winger or wide midfielder with his physicality, pace, and assisting ability but he won’t succeed in those positions at city, so he can say his goodbyes. Wilson-Esbrand is a no brainer, we’ve loaned him out for his whole Manchester City career and he is not the star our scouts thought he was. If he wants to go on loan against, sure go ahead, but let’s get him off our wagelist.
Defensive Replacements: Cambiaso, Wesley, Kerkez: The main focus in the window for defensive players will be the wide positions. Both Cambiaso and Savona have been heavily linked with the club but I think Juventus will renew Savona’s contract and Cambiaso will see the door. Cambiaso is the perfect Pep player, and he would fit into the system perfect. Wesley is another young star who could really succeed, and I think we will definitely get him but he won’t start. Kerkez is probably my most unrealistic transfer of this article. I think Gvardiol and Dias are an amazing CB paring and if we could get Pep to trust a player like Kerkez in LB, the Gvardiol LB experiment will end.
Keeping The Youngsters, Dias, and Gvardiol: Dias and Gvardiol are obvious keeps, and I want to use this section to write about Nico O’Reilly. This boy could go far in football and if everything worked out perfect, he might go on to win the Ballon D’Or. He is talented and though his name may not be Lamine Yamal or Vini Jr, he could become an icon of the game.
Squad Rebuild:
Diogo Costa
Stefan Ortega
Scott Carson
Andrea Cambiaso
Ruben Dias
Josko Gvardiol
Milos Kerkez
Abdukodir Khusanov
Rico Lewis
Nico O’Reilly
Vitor Reis
Wesley
Midfielders
Current:
Kevin De Bruyne
Phil Foden
Claudio Echeverri
Ilkay Gundogan
Mateo Kovacic
James McAtee
Nico Gonzalez
Maximo Perrone
Kalvin Phillips
Rodri
Bernardo Silva
I used to be completely against this claim: Midfield has been Man City’s biggest problem this season. Overtime, I have come to totally agree with it. Man City have ran out of creativity in midfield. Remember the days of De Bruyne’s starstruck crosses, Bernardo’s crazy dribbles, and Gundogan’s pinpoint passes? Those days are over, and last season, we couldn’t complain because Phil Foden was having the season of his life, but now, no one is stepping up. Look at the list of current midfielders. It lacks creativity, youth, and most of all: variety. There needs to be a player added to this team that no one is like on city. Something different. It’s going to be extremely hard to be realistic with the midfield, as Wirtz is no longer looking any bit possible.
Decisions:
Sell De Bruyne, Gundogan, Kovacic, McAtee, Perrone, Phillps, and Bernardo
Keep Foden, Nico, Rodri, and Echeverri
Purchase Gibbs White, Reijnders, Sara
Selling The Majority of The Midfield: The midfield is what I really mean with moving into a new generation. De Bruyne, Gundogan, Kovacic, and Bernardo are all extremely old players. If Man City want to adapt to the Premier League they need to move on from the treble winning players. Kevin De Bruyne is obviously already leaving, as it’s been announced; but I want to go into the sales of Gundogan, Kovacic, and Bernardo a bit more. First of all, Gundogan is likely staying, but I’m not sure the board wants him to. His contract originally expired this year but a bumper was activated and now it runs into June of 2026. Gundogan loves Manchester, but he might be seeking a homecoming move to Germany in the coming years. Kovacic, in my opinion, was Man City’s third best player this season. It goes Gvardiol, Haaland, Kovacic. He was fantastic and he only missed a little over four weeks due to injury. I know that may sound like a little, but compared to the rest of the team it’s nothing. I’m choosing to sell Kovacic because it’s been reported he is undergoing a surgery which will make him out for the entire summer and a little bit of next season. This surgery isn’t because of an injury, it’s because of a “chronic heel” problem that he wants fixed. If Kovacic was young and had loads of potential, I wouldn’t be concerned but as he is 31 and nearing the end of his career, this surgery isn’t going to make him any bit better or make a lasting impact. Why not take him off the wagelist? Finally, Bernardo Silva. Bernardo might be one of my favorite players of all time, but he deserves a rest. He should go back to Portugal, enjoy his last few years of being a professional footballer, and just live a fun life. Bernardo is a happy and enjoyable player and I wouldn’t mind him leaving, I just don’t think he is “at it” anymore.
Sales of McAtee, Perrone, Phillps: Perrone and Phillips both have failed to succeed at city and I think they could regain popularity elsewhere. It’s that simple. For McAtee, on the other hand, it’s a little different. It’s like having Raphinha in a front three of Messi, Ronaldo, and Mbappe. Raphinha is so talented, but Messi, Ronaldo, and Mbappe are simply better. Raphinha is a player who deserves to start, so he should move to another club where he can flourish. This is the situation with McAtee. This guy is so talented, you could see his understanding of football in the 5-2 Palace game where he scored and had loads of chances. But I think he needs to go, we have too many players like him. I was also considering selling Foden after the season he’s had. I had to tell myself that I know what he is capable of he just had a “low-of-lows” year.
Keeping the stars: We’ve already spoken on Foden, and Nico Gonzalez and Rodri are obvious keeps. I’m just so worried we will let Echeverri leave on loan. He is so talented, and him and Vitor Reis could be the future of the club. Think about this: In 2035 Echeverri will be 29 and Reis will be 28. Khusanov will be 30. They are the future, and we cannot make the same mistake we did with Perrone and we didn’t develop him at city and he became useless.
Purchasing Gibbs White, Reijnders, and Sara: @FPLMaineRoad has continuously posted about how Man City will purchase two of these players:
Wirtz
Reijnders
Olmo
Gibbs White
In my prediction, we will get Morgan Gibbs White and Tijani Reijnders. Wirtz turned down city and Olmo just seems dreamy and he gets injured way too much. After the season we’ve had, we don’t need anymore injuries. Reijnders and MGW really seem to be intent on moving to Manchester and we could definitely land both of them. I also chosed Sara as he was spotted by scouts and is a unique player we could use as a backup.
Activating Eze’s Release Clause: Man City have specialized in English youth and talent for a while. And Eberichi Eze could do so well in a Man City shirt. Unfortunately, I want to be realistic, and I think Eze will either join a rival of ours or stay at Palace. We could definitely get him but I’m trying to make this as realistic as possible and I’ll come back to this at the end when we create a possible starting XI about showing the flaws with having both Eze and Gibbs White
Squad Rebuild:
Diogo Costa
Stefan Ortega
Scott Carson
Andrea Cambiaso
Ruben Dias
Josko Gvardiol
Milos Kerkez
Abdukodir Khusanov
Rico Lewis
Nico O’Reilly
Vitor Reis
Wesley
Phil Foden
Nico
Rodri
Claudio Echeverri
Tijani Reijnders
Gabriel Sara
Morgan Gibbs-White
Forwards
Current:
Oscar Bobb
Jeremy Doku
Jack Grealish
Erling Haaland
Omar Marmoush
Savinho
There have been many questions asked on the output of the wingers but to be completely honest, if you’ve been watching the games, is not their fault, and it’s always over-exaggeratted on the media. Doku and Savinho are fantastic players, and they are the future wingers of this club. Omar Marmoush and Haaland are a perfect forward paring, and Oscar Bobb is one of the best wonderkids in the world! Is there anything wrong with Man City’s frontline?
Decisions:
Keep Bobb, Doku, Haaland, Marmoush, and Savinho
Sell Grealish
Selling Super Jack: Notice I didn’t mention Grealish in the first paragraph of this section. Why? His time at city is over. Jack Grealish came in as a 100 Million Pound star, and he’ll be leaving as a failed superstar, or as most call: a flop. Grealish can go and attempt to revive his career elsewhere. City is definitely not the place for him. He is an awesome player, and after watching clips of him with KDB’s kids, he’s so cheerful and kind too. But there’s another side: the drunk and none-devoted football he is sometimes. The videos that come out of him being carried out of bars are hideous, and no footballer should be drinking that much. I’m sorry Jacky G, but it’s time for you to leave city.
No Purchases: The likes of Rayan Cherki from Lyon and Rodrygo have been linked to Man City, but I feel they aren’t really needed nor are they realistic. Too many clubs are in the race for them and Man City aren’t the type of club to go galatico style and purchase everyone on their shortlist. Sure, scouts like the players but they don’t need to be at city. Have you ever heard a pundit say that they can’t really imagine a player wearing a shirt of a club? Well for Rodrygo and Cherki, I can’t visualize them in a city shirt one bit.
Squad Rebuild*:
Diogo Costa
Stefan Ortega
Scott Carson
Andrea Cambiaso
Ruben Dias
Josko Gvardiol
Milos Kerkez
Abdukodir Khusanov
Rico Lewis
Nico O’Reilly
Vitor Reis
Wesley
Phil Foden
Nico
Rodri
Claudio Echeverri
Tijani Reijnders
Gabriel Sara
Morgan Gibbs-White
Oscar Bobb
Jeremy Doku
Erling Haaland
Omar Marmoush
Savinho
**Notice I added numbers as Pep has threatened to quit if squad is not smaller
IMAGES ARE BELOW ARTICLE
Possible XIs
Positions with options
Before we begin looking at three different XIs, I first want to circle back to three players, Rodrygo, Cherki, and Eze. There were three reasons why I didn’t put them in my rebuild. The first was Pep wants a smaller squad, the second one was they were unrealistic, the third one was we already had options in there positions and no one on the team deserved to sit on the bench. If you look at the image above, the three players would simply not fit in one bit.
Also, before we begin with the possible elevens, note that all images are of what the team would look like possession.
XI 1: UCL Final XI
Best Possible 11
The UCL Final XI showcases the best options in each position. Kerkez would likely link up with Doku up front, and Cambiaso would overlap Foden on attacks so Foden could move centrally. Marmoush would shadow Haaland, and Reijnders would play an 8 while Rodri plays his normal 6 role. Gvardiol and Dias sit back and attempt line-breaking passes.
XI 2: West Ham Away Day XI
Resting Players For a Mid-Table Premier League Game
The West Ham Away XI shows the top players retaining their place and others receiving a rest for the minor game. Khusanov, Wesley, O’Reilly, Gibbs-White, and Savinho come in. Marmoush might also come out in this scenario for a player like Nico Gonzalez or Gabriel Sara.
XI 3: Second Team XI
This would be the XI for a Champions League game against Straum Graz or a cup game VS Morecambe. This shows the depth the Man City team could have next season.
Final Thoughts
Man City could be unstoppable next season if they do business correctly. They could go back to winning ways and maybe pick up a new UCL trophy on the way. This new generation of Man City will be insane.
Top Left: Second Team XI. Top Right: West Ham Away Day XI. Bottom Left: UCL Final XI. Bottom Right: Overall Options
Google Sites
Report abuse