Manchester City have had a decent 2015-16 season so far despite some harsh critics.
They have already won the Capital One Cup, they are still in with a fighting chance of finishing in the top four in the league and are the only English team to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League. But yet, Manuel Pellegrini’s side have not been close to their best.
Players like Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Fernandinho, Kalechi Iheanacho and Joe Hart have put in memorable performances this campaign and have been City’s shining stars so far. But, on the other hand, there are a number of names who have been quite disappointing on more than a few occasions. While they still might scrape through this season with their current crop, there will surely be a call for change when new manager Pep Guardiola takes over. There is no doubt that the Spaniard will be handed a hefty war chest to add some talent to his squad.
While there is still no concrete evidence as to whom City will sign next season, Outside90’s Rahul Dantes looks at some of the deadweight that the club must work towards getting rid of.
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Martin Demichelis
After his horror show in the Manchester derby last weekend, there is no surprise that Demichelis makes the list. But that is not the only reason why City should cut loose the aging centre-back. The Argentine might have been valuable centre-half at one time in his career, but that time has long gone now. The 35-year-old seems to get worse with every passing game and is evidently well past his prime. Due to mounting injuries to City’s centre-backs, Demichelis was forced to start and has disappointed his team almost every time that he has taken to the pitch, making way too many errors for a defender with such vast experience.
Guardiola will certainly not entertain such poor performances and it is more than guaranteed that the club will not renew the Argentine’s contract which expires at the end of this season.
Eliaquim Mangala
Mangala arrived in Manchester as recently as 2014, but has yet to make any sort of impact in the two years. Like Demichelis, Mangala has been the reason why City have suffered defensively this season. His performances have been terrible at times and he has understandably moved down the pecking order. But what has angered the fans has been the amount of money the Citizens paid for the centre-back, which was in the region of £32 million (more than five times what City paid for Kompany). That is right, City paid over £30 million for a defender who had yet to prove his worth on the big stage and is arguably still yet to do so.
Considering the fact that the Frenchman is just 25-years-old, it would be harsh to discard him straight away, but if the past couple of years is anything to show for the future, it can only be considered sensible that the club cash in on the centre-back before things go horribly south and they end up with another Demichelis on their hands.
Yaya Toure
Many would consider it a ludicrous idea to let go of powerhouse Yaya Toure, who has not had the worst season nor the best so far. No doubt, the Ivorian was once among the Premier League’s top players but no more. Since last season, Toure has shown signs of slowing down with the level of his performances seeing a huge drop. Despite the huge amount of success that he’s enjoyed with City, there comes a time in a player’s career where moving on is just the best option. The midfielder has scored over 70 goals for the Citizens since his arrival at the club, putting in some noteworthy and match-winning performances along the way. But at 32-years of age even Toure looks to have decided that his future does not lie in Manchester, as reports from the players agent claims he wants away. Toure’s contract expires at the end of next season and it would be best if the club are able to sell the aging player off at the end of the season, rather than to let him go on a free transfer.
Wilfried Bony
Another player who has only recently arrived on the club but has had a dreadful time since then. He made a name for himself at Swansea, where he scored 34 goals in 70 appearances. Compare that to his 10 goals in 40 games for City and you notice the vast difference. Bony still might have a good amount of years left in him and at only 27 years of age he might still have a lot to offer. But it is not the lack of goals that is concerning for the Ivorian, but his performances that have been well below-par. Bony lacks the pace and creative vision that the other Sky Blue attackers have in abundance and at times he just seems out of place.
There is little doubt that Guardiola will not add another striker to the City ranks and that could well mean curtains for the Ivorian after only a season and a half. The Ivorian is certainly still a good striker and a shift in teams may not be the worst idea for him. The emergence of young Kalechi Iheanacho would be another reason why City might let the 27-year-old depart the club at the end of the season though.
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