Kevin de Bruyne: questions about Man City Star departure
Pep Guardiola and the technical director Little Begiristain.
When he talks about contracts, Guardiola usually says it is a “club” decision and passes responsibility for those who are above him. On this occasion, he owns it.
“It was not easy to tell me that he will not continue,” said Guardiola to the media in his pre-match press conference before Manchester Derby at Old Trafford on Sunday.
This statement strengthens the same words as De Bruyne in his post on social media: “Whether we like it or not, it’s time to say goodbye”.
What is absolutely not clear is what the key factors have been in the decision to cut the ties.
De Bruyne is one of the highest earnings of the Premier League. It was impossible to imagine that City would offer an extension on the same terms as £ 400,000 per week. They are also good enough to play hardball, as the former captain Ilkay Gundogan discovered in 2023 when City refused to read on the requests of the German midfielder for a two -year agreement.
De Bruyne was the shadow of her usual I this season. For common consent, he did not have a flu that changes the game from victory to Newcastle in January 2024, when he left the bench to score one and create another, transforming a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 victory.
His four goals and seven assists in all competitions this season have fallen to normal levels. The last time he scored against the Plymouth championship in FA Cup last month. The last two of his six assists in the Premier League arrived at a 6-0 victory against the Ipswich threatened by relegation in January.
Guardiola admitted this season that he probably made a mistake to remain faithful to his main team last summer. Was it the decisive factor, or was it considered humiliating to offer De Bruyne an extension much less than what is now gaining now?
