Iheanacho, Navas and Other Early Guardiola Sales at Man City: Where Are They Now?

Iheanacho, Navas and Other Early Guardiola Sales at Man City: Where Are They Now?

  • Pep Guardiola is in his ninth season at Manchester City, having joined the club in the summer of 2016
  • The Spaniard has won every trophy possible, including the club’s first UEFA Champions League
  • He started with the overhauling of the squad he met, even though they had won two titles before him

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Pep Guardiola is in his ninth season at Manchester City and has cemented his status as one of the greatest managers to ever coach in the Premier League.

He started with a trophyless season on his arrival in 2016 and made many changes to the squad going forward, making them one of the best ever assembled in the English top flight.

Kelechi Iheanacho, Pep Guardiola, Manchester City, City Football Academy, Manchester, North West, England, July 3, 2016.
Kelechi Iheanacho and Pep Guardiola during the manager's unveiling as Manchester City boss in 2016. Photo by Oli Scarff.
Source: AFP

Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho was one of the first 10 victims of his clearance when he was sold to 2016 Premier League champions Leicester City.

Briefly News looks at the first 10 players he sold at the Etihad in no particular order, as first called by Planet Football.

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Guardiola's first 10 sales at City

1. Kelechi Iheanacho

Iheanacho joined City a year after winning the 2013 FIFA U17 World Cup as the tournament’s best player. He spent two seasons in the first team before he was sold to Leicester City in 2017. He spent seven years with the Foxes and joined Sevilla as a free agent last summer.

2. Jesus Navas

Navas left City at the end of Guardiola's first season in 2017 and reinvented himself as a right-back at Sevilla. He turns 39 years old today and is still active even though he has settled for a limited role at the record UEFA Europa League winners this season.

3. Bruno Zuculini

The Argentine midfielder was a Man City player for three years but never made an appearance, going on multiple loans before he was sold to Hellas Verona in 2017. The Italians sold him to River Plate after one season. He joined his boyhood team, Racing Club, in January.

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4. Fernando

Like many others on this list, the Brazilian midfielder spent a season with Guardiola before he decided it was enough and shipped them. Since leaving England in 2017, he has played for Galatasaray, Sevilla, Vila Nova and currently plays for Internacional.

5. Willy Caballero - retired (2023) and currently an assistant to Enzo Maresca at Chelsea.

6. Gael Clichy - retired (2023) and currently France U21 assistant manager.

7. Bacary Sagna - retired (2020) and is a businessman in France.

8. Pablo Zabaleta - retired (2020) and currently Albania’s assistant coach.

9. Nolito - retired (2023)

10. Aleksandr Kolarov - retired and is currently Serbia U21 head coach.

Sevilla Head Coach Offers Iheanacho Key Advice

Briefly News reported that Kelechi Iheanacho has struggled to hit his stride since his transfer to La Liga outfit Sevilla.

The Nigerian forward, who was highly spoken of prior to his transfer to the Andalusian outfit, has so far found his game time limited as he continues to struggle with adapting to the demands of his new environment.

Source: Legit.ng

Authors:
Viginia Akinyi avatar

Viginia Akinyi (sports editor) Viginia Akinyi is the current import editor at Briefly News. She holds a B.Sc. in Communication and Public Relations from Moi University and has previously worked with Lolwe TV, Daily Nation Eldoret Bureau and SportsBrief.com. Email: viginia.akinyi@briefly.co.za