2 hours ago
19
Manchester City will say farewell to Bernardo Silva this summer and will hope he is the only major loss from the squad.
When Manchester City bid farewell to Bernardo Silva there won't be a dry eye in the house. Whether the captain will leave lifting the Premier League trophy remains to be seen, but Bernardo deserves a top send-off.
No player has been picked more by Guardiola, but the City boss has never been one to stand in the way of a player who wants out. "I want the best for Bernardo," he said back in November.
"If he wants to stay, I will be more than delighted, but I don't talk about that subject with him and all I want is the best for his family. He has been here for nine years already and he will decide with the club what is the best."
Get MEN Premium now for just £1 HERE – or get involved in our City WhatsApp group by clicking HERE. You can also join our City Facebook page by clicking HERE and don't miss out on our brilliant selection of newsletters HERE.
This has been Guardiola's golden rule at City; if a player wants to leave, the Blues' head coach will not stand in their way. To Guardiola, doing so would be counterintuitive. There is little point in keeping a player on the books if they want to seek a new challenge.
Guardiola believes you never have the same player if you keep them against their wishes. Eyebrows were raised when Julian Alvarez left after just two years in Manchester but he wanted more starting chances than City could afford with Erling Haaland in their squad. That is why he left to be a starter for Atletico Madrid.
That is how it has been and how it will always be while Guardiola is in charge. But that golden rule will be tested if Rodri pushes to leave this summer.
City's defensive midfielder is as integral to Guardiola's team as Bernardo - if not more so. Last season when Rodri was missing, the Blues were a shadow of themselves.
Nico Gonzalez joined midway through the season to steady the ship and City did enough to qualify for the Champions League. Once Rodri was fully fit though, he replaced Gonzalez and has left the 24-year-old firmly second choice.
During the international break, Rodri suggested he would be interested in joining Real Madrid in the future. While he is happy at City, he wants to return to La Liga before finishing his career.
Rodri's declaration set alarm bells ringing, particularly as his contract expires at the end of next season. The 29-year-old remains the best defensive midfielder in the world and City want to keep him.
Guardiola said as much last week when asked about Rodri. "I know what the club wants. They informed me what they want from Rodri - it is to stay, stay, stay," the City boss said.
But if Guardiola were to stand by his golden rule, there's still a chance Rodri could leave in the summer and that would create a major challenge for the recruitment team. Losing and replacing Bernardo is one thing, but adding a Rodri replacement to the to-do list ramps up the pressure.
Yes, Gonzalez could make the step up, but City would be losing more than just quality. Rodri and Bernardo are crucial because they have the experience of winning when it matters most.
That has proven to be key in the last couple of weeks as Arsenal have faltered and City have flourished. Replacing that experience costs more than just money - it takes time, too.
In a perfect world, Rodri would stay this summer and City would tie him down to a new deal. But if he does not want that, Guardiola will not force it on him.
"The organisation of the club is above all of us - if one player is not happy, they have to leave," Guardiola added last week. "Continue the same always if they are happy - and I think he is happy - if he is not happy, just knock on the door of the sporting director, accept an offer according to his incredible quality and after that he don’t belong to the club - only himself."
That stance has served City well under Guardiola. But if Rodri does ask to leave this summer, Pep might have to break his own golden rule.
English (US) ·