Guardiola wants Man City player exits: Squad size ‘not healthy’
Pep Guardiola claimed Manchester City’s squad size is “not healthy” after the team opened its Premier League campaign with a convincing 4-0 victory at Wolves.
Erling Haaland struck twice and new signings Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki also got on the scoresheet as City began their quest for a seventh title in nine seasons in emphatic fashion at Molineux on Saturday.
Yet while goalkeeper James Trafford also made a confident debut and Rayan Aït-Nouri shone against the club he left in the summer, Guardiola’s main concern is now offloading players.
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Guardiola said: “[It’s] too much — too many people. I like a deep squad to compete in all competitions, but I don’t want to leave players at home. It’s not healthy. You cannot create a good vibe or atmosphere to compete.
“Everyone has to feel they can play and help. The club has known it since last season, it’s not news, but the situation is what it is.
“In the next two weeks, people will talk with players and agents to find a solution.”
Goalkeeper Ederson’s future has been the subject of speculation throughout the summer, and City have been linked with Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Guardiola this week insisted the Brazilian was still his “No. 1.”
His absence at Molineux was due to illness, with the 31-year-old suffering from gastroenteritis, and had nothing to do reports of interest from Galatasaray.
Guardiola said of those rumors: “I don’t have any news. Yesterday, I saw his illness, and after I didn’t speak to the club.
“If a player wants to leave, he has to leave but on the conditions of the club. There’s no sense if he’s not happy here, but the final decision and the way to make the deal belongs 100 percent to the club, not to me.
“I don’t know what will happen in the next two weeks.”
Guardiola was satisfied with City’s start to the season, although he said there was room for improvement.
He said: “I’m pleased with the result and the first half. In the second, we were away from where we want to be, but that’s normal for the first game.
“We punished them on transitions because we have incredible pace, and that’s a weapon we want to use, to attack quicker than we did before.”
Reijnders had a hand in both Haaland goals in a fine Premier League debut.
Guardiola said: “He was really good. He’s a lovely guy and [made] impact from day one. We know he is a top signing for the coming years.”
Wolves boss Vitor Pereira said the scoreline was harsh on the hosts.
He said: “We had three or four chances to score goals, but the difference is technically they are strong, individually they are strong, tactically they are strong, and each mistake we committed they punished us.
“If you hadn’t watched the game, it’s like they created a lot of chances and deserved 10 goals and we didn’t deserve anything, but it was not the case.”