Manchester City: Pep Guardiola will lose world-class defender to Barcelona
By Kian Long
Manchester City have had the perfect start to their 2023/24 campaign. Not only have they won their opening two Premier League fixtures, but they have also lifted the Super Cup, beating Sevilla on penalties.
Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world – fact. However, even the best have their downfalls. One of those downfalls is that the Spanish manager is intense and never truly satisfied which from fans’ perspective is a great thing but for the players, it may be a little hard to deal with.
One player who has found their time under Pep difficult to deal with is Portugal defender Joao Cancelo. Cancelo is a rather strange case, since there were no tell-tale signs that he was unsettled before he left the club to join Bayern Munich on loan last season. However, with hindsight, we know that he wanted a new challenge as he was unsettled under Pep Guardiola.
But the challenge failed. He didn’t impress while on loan in the Bundesliga, which puts him back to square one, asking for a move away. Unfortunately for the attacking full-back, he hasn’t had any serious offers come in for him on a permanent basis. Therefore, he’ll be sent out on loan again.
Agreement for Joao Cancelo to join Barcelona on loan from Manchester City
According to SPORT, there is an agreement in principle for Cancelo to join Barcelona on loan from Manchester City on an initial season-long loan. Whether or not the Catalan side pursue him permanently remains to be seen.
Given Barcelona’s financial struggles, this seems like the perfect transfer for them. There’s a lack of risk when it comes to signing players on loan. Further, we know how world-class Joao Cancelo is, so he would bring a lot to Xavi’s side.
Do you think Joao Cancelo will have a better time at Barcelona?