Exclusive: Guardiola’s key role in surprise Man City transfer decision – explained

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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola had a key role in the surprise departure of Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich this January.

The Portugal international was a star performer for Man City prior to this season, when he somewhat surprisingly fell down the pecking order in Guardiola’s side, and he’s now been sent out on loan to Bayern for the rest of the season.

According to Fabrizio Romano, writing exclusively in the Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside, Guardiola was keen not to have a player like Cancelo disrupting the squad, so decided that if the 28-year-old was not happy then he should move on.

Cancelo looks a fine signing for Bayern, but some City fans will perhaps be disappointed to see him leaving the Etihad Stadium as he’s a player whose quality contributed a great deal towards the team’s success last season.

Joao Cancelo and Pep Guardiola

Still, it’s also hard to begrudge a talent like Cancelo wanting to play more.

“The situation between Guardiola and Joao Cancelo was not easy,” Romano explained.

“The Portuguese wanted to play more, that was the problem; Guardiola decided to let him leave instead of having a player creating internal issues.

“Bayern have been perfect in the strategy, keeping it quiet until the end.”

More Stories Fabrizio Romano Joao Cancelo Pep Guardiola