Manchester City have become a real powerhouse of European football over the past 15 years or so. They have invested heavily in the best players, and have dominated European football as a result, led by the legendary Pep Guardiola.
The Spaniard has guided the Citizens to 18 major trophies throughout his time at the club, including six Premier League titles and one Champions League trophy, which came in the 2022/23 campaign. Of course, that season, City won their first treble, beating Inter in the Champions League final to seal it.
Over the years, some excellent players have represented the club and helped them achieve their glory. Not all of them still represent City, and there have been some surprising sales under Guardiola.
City’s worst sales under Guardiola
Undoubtedly one of the biggest mistakes City have made under legendary manager Guardiola when it comes to outgoings was to sell Cole Palmer. He joined Chelsea in 2023 for £42.5m and has gone on to become “the best player in the Premier League” according to Jamie Carragher, at least if he continues his form.
During his Chelsea career so far, Palmer has played 73 games, scoring 39 times and grabbing 21 assists. He has been a goal machine, scoring four times in a single match twice, including all goals in a 4-2 win over Brighton and Hove Albion earlier in the season.
Another player who City arguably should have kept at the club was Brahim Diaz. The Moroccan attacking midfielder played 15 times for the club but moved to Real Madrid in 2019 for a reported £15m.
He has since gone on to play 98 times for Los Blancos, scoring and assisting on 36 occasions. He recently broke City’s heart by scoring against them in the Champions League playoff round first leg at the Etihad Stadium, a tie the Spanish giants went on to win.
However, as bad as these sales were, they arguably do not come close to a departure last summer.
City’s bad sale from the 2024 summer window
Finding a replacement for Sergio Aguero was never going to be easy for the Citizens. However, in Julian Alvarez, they found someone who could have eventually become just as effective in front of goal. He was a player Aguero previously spoke highly of; Jolean Lescott said the former City star told him Alvarez is a “top talent”.
The East Mancunian side brought Alvarez to the club for just £14.1m in January 2022 from River Plate. However, he did not make the move to England until the summer, remaining at the Argentine giants on loan until the end of the season.
When he eventually did move to the Citizens, he was superb. Alvarez played 103 times for the club, scoring 36 goals and grabbing 17 assists. However, given he was competing with Erling Haaland for a spot in the team, he was not a guaranteed starter. His 6007 minutes for the club were the equivalent of just 66 full 90-minute games.
The striker, who was once described as a “clinical” player by Statman Dave, was incredibly versatile during his City days. He played in several positions, each to a great degree of success, showing his quality across the pitch.
|
Alvarez record by position for Man City |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Games |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Centre-forward |
47 |
19 |
6 |
|
Second-striker |
21 |
7 |
5 |
|
Attacking midfielder |
16 |
6 |
4 |
|
Right-winger |
4 |
3 |
1 |
|
Left-winger |
2 |
1 |
1 |
|
Left midfielder |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Stats from Transfermarkt |
|||
In the summer, City sold their former striker to Spanish giants Atletico Madrid. He cost Diego Simeone’s side £81.5m including add-ons, and has been impressive in that time. Alvarez has scored 17 times and grabbed four assists in 37 appearances so far, playing almost entirely as a centre-forward.
Given his impressive record for the Madrid outfit, it might not come as a surprise that his value has risen from the fee City sold him for. Alvarez is now worth up to €127m (£105m) according to CIES Football Observatory.
Looking back on it, perhaps selling Alvarez was a mistake from City. Not only was he clinical during his time at the Etihad Stadium, but he has continued that form away from the club. Given his value now, it might have been better for City to keep him and move him on for £100m or more, or just utilise his impressive skillset themselves.
