Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes the club must sign younger players if they are to retain their Premier League crown.
The Cityzens finished two points above Arsenal to secure their fourth consecutive title at the weekend but, speaking after their 3-1 win over West Ham, Guardiola cited the names of five Gunners players in explaining why City’s squad must be freshened up in order to compete with their rivals:
“We have to take the right decisions in the next years because they are there to stay. They are young, you see Declan Rice, [Martin] Odegaard, [William] Saliba, [Kai] Havertz and [Bukayo] Saka and the ‘keepers.”
“So young, they have the experience in the Champions League, two years were close. We compete incredible well again, at the end for a little margin we won it, I’m incredibly really pleased.”
Comparing the age of City’s squad to rivals
The Premier League champions currently have the 7th oldest squad in the top flight (26.9). In contrast, Arsenal (25.7) have the joint third youngest, while Liverpool’s (25.8) is joint fourth.
While the numbers don’t appear to be that dissimilar, it’s not only about fresher legs but fresher minds too. Guardiola is always keen to work with hungry players who want to learn from him.
Who could be leaving the Etihad this summer?
Scott Carson (38) has a contract that expires next month, and it could well be the case that the veteran keeper departs City over the coming weeks.
Kevin De Bruyne (32) and Stefan Ortega (31) only have a year remaining on their current deals, and the pair have also been heavily linked with transfers away from Manchester.
Bernardo Silva (29) may have only signed an extension last August, but the agreement included a £50m release clause that can be triggered in the next transfer window, so the Portuguese international’s future is up in the air as well.