The club captain's imminent departure should mark the start of a wave of exits for players who have won it all but have long passed their peak
The timing of the revelation that Kyle Walker has asked to leave Manchester City – dropped by Pep Guardiola in the middle of the press conference after the 8-0 drubbing of Salford City – might have been surprising. But the news itself felt inevitable, even if it has been fast-tracked.
Walker has had a harrowing season on the pitch while off it his chaotic private life has continued to dominate the headlines. With his performances spiralling, him losing his place in the team – his last start was in the derby defeat by Manchester United on December 15 – and facing vitriolic criticism on social media, it is understandable that Walker has had enough and is seeking an exit in the middle of the season.
If he gets his wish and leaves, Walker will rightly be remembered as one of City's finest ever defenders, an unmovable force at right-back for seven seasons before his tough final spell this term. Guardiola was keen to point out Walker's influence, stating: "We cannot understand the success we have had these years. Without Kyle it's impossible, he gave us something we didn't have. He has been amazing."
But secretly the coach must be relieved that one of the team's biggest liabilities this season has given him and the club one less awkward decision to make when it comes to overhauling the squad. Walker's departure, however, looks set to be just the first step of a large and necessary City rebuild which has already begun.
Centre-back Abdukhodir Khusanov is about to join after City agreed a €40 million (£33m/$40m) fee with Lens, and Brazilian teenager Vitor Reis is set to follow suit soon. Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush is also likely to join from Eintracht Frankfurt to give City extra fire-power and ease the goal-scoring burden on Erling Haaland.
The three new arrivals usher in a new beginning for City and signal the end of an era for the core of the squad which won the treble just two years ago. And these are the players who should be following Walker out of the door to complete the transition…
GettyJack Grealish
Jack Grealish must have enjoyed himself against Salford on Saturday as he was able to do two things he has not been able to take for granted of late. First, he started for the first time in four games, but more importantly he scored for City the first time in more than a year.
Grealish took full advantage of the League Two opposition by setting up two goals as well as winning and converting a penalty, but the fact he started the FA Cup tie alongside so many inexperienced youngsters when so many of his senior team-mates began on the bench or sat the game out entirely must have also felt a bit insulting.
Grealish was one of the most exciting players in the Premier League to watch when City paid a record £100m ($121m) to sign him from Aston Villa in 2021, but Guardiola has stifled his creativity. Marti Perarnau, the journalist closest to Guardiola, referred to Grealish as a "rest station" in his latest book, a damning indictment of his role in the squad.
Grealish played a pivotal albeit slightly uninspiring role in the treble-winning team as the player who held the ball up and allowed others to get forward, but lately he has been left behind. Jeremy Doku and Savinho have leapt ahead of him in the pecking order and Guardiola publicly criticised him earlier in the month.
The arrival of Marmoush will give the England man even fewer opportunities, and Grealish needs to find a new club for his own sake, especially if he wants to be part of Thomas Tuchel's plans for the 2026 World Cup. City could also do with a bit of help to finance their daunting rebuild, and although they would have to swallow a huge loss on their £100m investment, they should at least look to recoup some money on a player that has long ceased to have a proper role in the squad.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportKevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne's unique talents mean he can still make a difference even after a series of debilitating injuries, such as tearing his hamstring twice in 2023. It should not be forgotten that he contributed to more than 20 goals despite only playing half of last season, and his decisive interventions against Newcastle and Crystal Palace hauled City over the line in the title race.
But even he is beginning to wonder if his fitness issues are becoming too great. The Belgian revealed in November that his injury problems have delayed talks on extending his contract, which expires in June. Weeks later, he disclosed that he has had to manage the pain of a sports hernia injury which he had still not fully overcome. De Bruyne has returned to full fitness lately, starting six games since the start of December, but he has still not decided whether he will be staying or leaving.
Given his injury history and the fact he turns 34 in June, it feels like the end is nigh for De Bruyne at City. It will be gut-wrenching to see him leave after everything he has achieved in Manchester, but the player and the club need to face up to the fact that he can no longer stay fit for long periods.
To get back to challenging for the top competitions, City need a No.10 who will be consistently available. De Bruyne, meanwhile, deserves to live out the final few years of his career in comfort, rather than at the mercy of the most intense league in the world and its unrelenting schedule.
AFPEderson
Ederson returned to action from injury against Salford and his place in the starting line-up was a reminder of how his status at the club has dramatically fallen. The FA Cup was always the domain of City's second-choice goalkeeper, meaning he would usually sit such matches out.
Now, though, the tables have turned. Ederson was dropped for Stefan Ortega for the trip to Liverpool in November after a string of poor displays, above all the error-strewn performance in the 3-3 draw with Feyenoord. He did get back into the team for the Manchester derby, but he was partly culpable for Amad Diallo's late winner, and when it was revealed that he picked up an injury after the game and would be out for month, it did not feel like a real setback for City.
Ederson has not been helped by suffering three injuries within the space of a year, but it is plain to see that he is no longer an elite level shot-stopper and his ability to build attacks with his laser passing has also declined. Ortega feels like just as good an option for the remainder of the season as Ederson, but both goalkeepers are over the age of 30 and their contracts expire in 2026. It feels like the ideal time for a younger 'keeper to join the club's ranks and Ederson, who received interest from Saudi Arabia last summer, is likely to generate more money from a sale than Ortega to help fund a move for City's future No.1.
Getty Ilkay Gundogan
There is a reason why they say you should never go back. Most reunions end in disappointment, and Ilkay Gundogan's second coming with City feels like a big mistake for the player and the club.
Gundogan departed in 2023 as a modern City legend after winning 14 trophies, having netted crucial goals in the Premier League title race and scored twice in the FA Cup final against United. But he returned this past summer a year older and looking even more tired, which was the last thing City's ageing squad needed.
The truth is Gundogan, at 34, was viewed as more of a squad player than a starter, but Rodri's season-ending injury and Mateo Kovacic's fitness troubles mean he has had to anchor the midfield for much of the campaign, a role he rarely looked comfortable in even four years previously. The German is at least easily dispensable as he only signed a one-year contract when he returned from Barcelona.