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Manchester City defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey has barely had a kick at Celtic and will be hoping for more game time with a move
As one Manchester City defender is recalled from his loan, another is switching to a different club. Max Alleyne has been drafted back from Watford as emergency cover for Pep Guardiola following injuries to Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol, while Jahmai Simpson-Pusey is moving from Celtic to FC Koln.
Simpson-Pusey was brought in by Guardiola last season to cover the crisis before everyone realised how bad it was, with the youngster making his debut in the League Cup defeat at Spurs in October 2024 before starting in defeats to Sporting and Brighton the following month. He spent the second half of the season back with the Under-21s, and became the first defender to be named as the Premier League 2 Player of the Year.
He earned a loan move to Celtic, where expectations were high. The Scottish champions were expected to mount a strong defence of their title and were close to making the Champions League first phase when the defender headed north.
However, the move started disastrously with coach Brendan Rodgers leaving him out of the Champions League games and then keeping him out of the Europa League squad completely. He made one league start under caretaker boss Martin O'Neill but has not featured again under new manager Wilfried Nancy.
City had already decided to move Simpson-Pusey on in the January window before their own centre-back crisis emerged, and he is in the final steps of completing a loan to FC Koln for the season. The German side sit 11th in the Bundesliga and host Vincent Kompany's Bayern Munich next week.
Alleyne, meanwhile, has made 17 appearances in the first half of the season for Watford in the Championship, most recently starting for them in their 3-0 win over Birmingham on New Year's Day. He will be part of Guardiola's squad for the second half of the season as City again look to cope with defensive injuries.
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