3 weeks ago
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Manchester City midfielder Claudio Echeverri joined Leverkusen on loan a few weeks ago and has already outlasted one manager
Manchester City put a lot of thought into where Claudio Echeverri would play his football this season. The young midfielder seriously impressed when he arrived at the club in February, earning an infamous debut in the FA Cup Final at the expense of more serious teammates and showing a determination to prove he could be part of Pep Guardiola's squad.
City may have kept him if there hadn't been such little headroom with non-homegrown players for their Champions League squad - hours before the transfer deadline, they still have two too many - but with the Argentine focused on playing as much as possible with eyes on the 2026 World Cup a good move was warranted. Plenty of clubs wanted him, but Bayer Leverkusen was picked as the right destination.
Leverkusen may not be what they have recently been, with Xabi Alonso having left for Real Madrid and Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong among a raft of playing departures.
Nevertheless, those exits provided opportunities and after being given the No.9 shirt to wear for the season it felt like Echeverri could settle down and play an important role in a new-look Leverkusen.
That may still be the case, but City will have winced at the Bundesliga club sacking manager Erik Ten Hag after just two league matches. One defeat, one draw, and one P45 (or whatever the German equivalent is) as Leverkusen go back to the drawing board.
“This decision was not an easy one for us. Nobody wanted to take this step," explained Simon Rolfes, their managing director for sport.
"However, the past few weeks have shown that building a new and successful team with this setup is not feasible. We firmly believe in the quality of our team and will now do everything we can to take the next steps in our development with a new setup.”
There is still much potential for Leverkusen and Echeverri this season, both in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. They travel to the Etihad as part of their group matches and City can get another look at a player who will not be restricted from playing against them.
If Ten Hag was the wrong fit for the squad, it is probably better to act sooner rather than later.
However, a manager change within weeks of Echeverri's loan being agreed is far from ideal for City as they look to give him the best possible environment to develop in.
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