Pep tells Man City: Reduce squad measurement or I’ll surrender

MANCHESTER, England — Pep Guardiola stated he would relatively go away Manchester City than need to paintings with a bloated squad subsequent season.

The City supervisor has begun to rebuild his workforce after the membership’s first trophyless marketing campaign since 2017.

But he stated Tuesday he had advised the membership that he’ll stroll away relatively than oversee an outsized squad.

“I said to the club I don’t want that. I don’t want to leave five or six players in the tribune,” Guardiola stated after the 3-1 win in opposition to Bournemouth. “I don’t want that. I will quit. Make a shorter squad, I will stay. It’s impossible for my soul to give [leave] my players in the tribune, that they cannot play.”

Guardiola left James McAtee, Savinho and Rico Lewis out of his squad for Tuesday’s Premier League sport. He needed to make in a similar fashion tricky requires Saturday’s FA Cup ultimate loss in opposition to Crystal Palace.

He has historically appreciated to paintings with a smaller squad, however a spate of accidents this season — together with knee surgical treatment for Rodri — seriously hampered City’s identify protection, which unraveled through Christmas.

City spent greater than $200 million in January to take a look at to salvage the marketing campaign, brining in Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.

Guardiola is predicted to make main signings within the offseason, with Kevin De Bruyne leaving as a loose agent and Kyle Walker additionally prone to cross, however has made it transparent he desires to stay his squad numbers down.

“I don’t want to have 24, 25, 26 players when everyone is fit,” he stated. “If I have injuries, unlucky. We have some players for the academy and we do it.

“[We] can’t maintain for the emotion of the membership, the soul of the workforce, create any other reference to each and every different that this season we misplaced it a bit of.”