Man City seems to be slowly recovering – Pep Guardiola’s team has secured two wins in their last two Premier League matches, finally putting an end to their exceptionally poor run that stretched through November and December of last year.
However, the Citizens’ issue remains evident – Guardiola lacks quality players.
Below is a list of seven former City academy players who could have been valuable to the team during tough times this season.
Eric García
In 2017, it was Pep Guardiola himself who pushed for the signing of the then 16-year-old center-back Eric García, who was shining in Barcelona’s youth teams. The club even paid a fee (nearly €2 million) for the young Spaniard – such was the level of talent and promise he was believed to have.
García progressed through the U-18 squad, captained the reserve team, and made over 30 appearances for City’s first team. He started featuring regularly in the starting lineup toward the end of the 2019/20 campaign (even in matches against top clubs) but remained dissatisfied with the overall lack of playing time.
In the summer of 2021, García “fulfilled his dream” and returned to Barcelona as a free agent. While he hasn’t fully realized his potential there, his skill set includes qualities Pep admires – Eric is exceptionally comfortable on the ball for a centre-back and can play both in central defence and as a defensive midfielder.
Romeo Lavia
How many times has Pep lamented the injury of the “best player in the world,” Rodri? And how often have all of City’s struggles been attributed to just one reason – the absence of a true defensive midfielder on the pitch?
Well, City had a chance to keep young Romeo Lavia in the squad, but in 2022, he was sold to Southampton while they signed Kalvin Phillips from Leeds.
Phillips turned out to be one of Guardiola’s biggest transfer flops at Man City, while Lavia, after just a year in the south of England, earned a big-money move to Chelsea for over €60 million.
Such amounts aren’t paid for just anyone, and this season, despite his injury troubles, Lavia is precisely the type of player who could have had one of the best chances for regular game time among everyone on this list.
Felix Nmecha
One of the players facing the most criticism in Manchester City’s squad this season is Mateo Kovačić.
Neither the Croatian midfielder nor Matheus Nunes, whom Pep has also been experimenting with in various roles, are seen as “ideal” eights in Guardiola’s system. According to British media, the Spaniard is dissatisfied with their ball control (specifically this season’s performances) and their lack of tactical flexibility – the ability to play closer to the attack one day and excel as a defensive midfielder the next.
Given these demands, Felix Nmecha could have been a valuable addition for Guardiola. Now in his second season with Dortmund, Nmecha is finally starting to justify the €30 million paid for him in the summer of 2023. The younger Nmecha (his brother Lukas was also part of City’s system) is highly comfortable on the ball in midfield, operates well under pressure, has excellent game awareness, and great vision. In short, there’s a reason Dortmund brought him in as a replacement for Jude Bellingham.
Cole Palmer
What more superlatives can be used to describe Cole Palmer?
It’s safe to say that Pep Guardiola has likely scratched his head in frustration more than once over the decision to let one of his best young talents join Chelsea. Palmer’s 59 goal contributions in 68 matches for the London club, along with Chelsea’s incredible progress throughout 2024, are the clearest proof of just how influential he is as a player.
At Man City, Palmer wouldn’t have had as much game time due to the presence of Kevin De Bruyne and, above all, Bernardo Silva, with whom Pep often compared him. However, since the Englishman’s move to Chelsea, he has registered more goal contributions than De Bruyne and Silva combined (40).
It would have been thrilling to see a prime Palmer playing under Guardiola’s guidance.
Morgan Rogers
In the summer of 2023, when Morgan Rogers left Manchester City to join Middlesbrough for £1.5 million, it’s unlikely anyone within the City system could have predicted his future progress. Today, Rogers is one of Aston Villa’s leaders and a player for the national team – yet another talent Manchester failed to believe in.
Under Unai Emery, Rogers has become an indisputable key figure.
Since the start of the season, the 22-year-old Englishman has been a regular starter in both Premier League and Champions League matches, missing only one game – Villa’s recent clash against Leicester – due to suspension after accumulating too many yellow cards.
The absolute highlight of his season, of course, was his match-winning goal and assist against none other than Manchester City in the 17th round of the league campaign.
Football fans name Morgan Rogers the Premier League’s hidden gem: Stats behind the hype
Jamie Gittens
Recently, social media buzzed with jokes about Manchester City’s record signing, Jack Grealish, failing to score a single goal throughout the entire calendar year. Last season, Grealish managed only four goal contributions in Premier League matches, while this year, he has just one assist to his name.
The attacking potential of the reigning English champions has noticeably suffered due to the lack of activity on the left flank, which target man Erling Haaland often favors. Lately, even Joško Gvardiol, primarily a left-back, has been creating more danger compared to Grealish.
Currently, City fans are captivated by the performances of academy graduate Jamie Gittins, who has become one of Borussia Dortmund’s standout players this season. The young Englishman is the German club’s latest rising star and a player many Manchester City supporters dream of seeing back in blue.
Liam Delap
In the summer, Argentine striker Julián Álvarez left Manchester City for a record €75 million and joined Atlético Madrid, yet it seems the club didn’t even consider finding a replacement for him.
Which was a mistake!
Amid the team’s overall struggles this season, Erling Haaland has frequently been out of the game, and Pep Guardiola’s arsenal lacks (and still lacks) a striker with slightly different football qualities, who could have provided the team with more tactical flexibility.
In addition to Álvarez, City also let go of 21-year-old Liam Delap in the summer. Despite a troublesome knee injury, Delap made 10 goal contributions in the Championship last season with Hull City. Delap then moved to Ipswich for nearly £15 million and has been one of the best young players in the Premier League this season – in 19 league matches, he has scored 8 goals and provided 2 assists.
Given both Álvarez’s desire to leave the club and the lack of other serious options in the market, along with Delap’s impressive goal-scoring record at youth level (35 goals + 9 assists in 36 official matches for City’s reserves), Delap could have been given a chance to prove himself in the first team – however, a different decision was made.