Manchester City coaches ‘advising against’ player’s departure – 23-year-old ‘welcomes’ Etihad Stadium exit | OneFootball

Some coaches within Pep Guardiola’s staff at Manchester City are reportedly ‘advising against’ the potential exit of one of the first-team squad’s defensive options.

That concerns the future of Sergio Gomez, who joined the Etihad Stadium club in the summer transfer window of 2022, completing a switch from Vincent Kompany’s former side RSC Anderlecht in Belgium.

Having joined the club with a reputation for versatility and an ability to play in the left-sided full-back role, as well as on either wing in attack, there was a certain degree of excitement surrounding the Catalan’s arrival at the club.

However, having seen his opportunities significantly halted through the strong performances of Nathan Ake, Manuel Akanji, and Josko Gvardiol in the left-back role, Gomez is now likely to seek other opportunities in the game away from Manchester City.

That has attracted interest from his home nation of Spain, with City simultaneously looking to recoup their initial investment of around €15 million in the player from any side looking to bring him into the club for the forthcoming season and beyond.

But such attempts to leave the club could now be complicated by advise reportedly emerging from certain quarters of the club’s backroom staff, if such claims from Spanish media are to be believed this week.

According to the information of Deportes COPE Gipuzkoa, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, there are coaches at Manchester City who are ‘advising against’ Sergio Gómez’s potential departure from the squad this summer.

It is explained that some within Pep Guardiola’s backroom staff at the Etihad Stadium think that Gomez could be ‘an important player in the future’, and as such Manchester City ‘may regret if they lose him now’.

However, it is clarified that the main problem is the 23-year-old does not see himself having many more chances to play for Pep Guardiola’s side next season, and as such welcomes a move to Real Sociedad in the coming weeks.

Gomez is said to have already reached an understanding with his agents about the move, and is now waiting for the relevant parties involved to sort the situation out. From the side of Sociedad, the report states the La Liga club hold ‘confidence’ in negotiations.

The Premier League champions are highly unlikely to seek a direct replacement for Sergio Gomez in the ongoing summer transfer market, should the player come to an agreement over an exit from the club.

Pep Guardiola is likely to be content with his existing options in his defensive line, and will believe that Nathan Ake’s strong performances alongside Josko Gvardiol in particular matches can only go from strength-to-strength.

Reinforcements in defence could yet happen though, with Manchester City keeping an open mind particularly concerning the right-back slot, with Kyle Walker’s performances having been called into question on several occasions last term.