
Pep Guardiola drops major hint about Rayan Cherki after tough debut
Pep Guardiola has hinted that the decision to bring Rayan Cherki to Manchester City was one made by the club, rather than him. The France international joined the Premier League side in a £34million deal ahead of the deadline to play in the Club World Cup.
But Guardiola has claimed he was happy to see Cherki's arrival from Lyon after the 21-year-old made his debut for City on Wednesday. The attacking star started the game as they got their Club World Cup campaign off to a winning start against Wydad.
Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku both got on the scoresheet to secure three points for Guardiola's side in Group G. Though, the ex-Bayern Munich and Barcelona boss was left annoyed that Rico Lewis earned a late red card.
Cherki failed to impose himself on the game during his hour on the pitch however. The Frenchman lost the ball 10 times - more than any of his team-mates.
Guardiola nevertheless praised the attributes that Cherki can offer his side in the wake of Kevin De Bruyne's exit. Despite the City coach accepting that fully replacing the talismanic Belgian will be extremely difficult.
"Of course Kevin is difficult to replace we know that," he said. "For the quality he has, there is no doubt about it, but at same time the club decided on Rayan because he has incredible skills close to the box and great vision, pass in many things.
"It was just a first game with tough, tough conditions. I'm really pleased he came here."
In an interview with DAZN, Guardiola added: "Tijjani [Reijnders] played very well, Rayan [Cherki] had good moments. Everyone has to get to know us and see what happens."
While Cherki struggled to find his feet, Foden hit the ground running with a goal and an assist. The England international is hoping to bounce back from a tough 2024/25.
Foden said: 'It was a difficult season, I'm not going to lie. It was not the best. I got a little bit of time off, rested. Yeah, new start, new me.
'The hunger inside me is back and I want to prove people wrong. We want to try and put last year behind us and get back to how we used to. So, the determination is definitely there.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
a few seconds ago
- Daily Mirror
Mikel Arteta will break Arsenal's golden transfer rule again by signing Viktor Gyokeres
Arsenal have been one of the busiest clubs in the transfer window so far, and it appears Mikel Arteta's side have done a chunk of their business while negating one of their biggest self-imposed rules Arsenal will be breaking their own golden transfer rule by wrapping up a deal for Viktor Gyokeres. For many months, the Gunners have been chasing the Swedish forward, who has been stubbornly held on to by Sporting CP. Gyokeres' move to the Emirates Stadium is understood to be imminent, not long after he went on strike to force through a return to English football. However, at the age of 27, his arrival would be an expensive contradiction to the Gunners' own transfer rule. Usually, the north Londoners avoid signing players who are over the age of 25, although the arrivals earlier this summer of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Christian Norgaard also contradict that philosophy. But after finishing second in the Premier League for three seasons in a row, they evidently believe an experienced and lethal finisher like Gyokeres can drive them over the line. Over the course of 102 appearances, the ex-Coventry City forward has helped himself to 97 goals and 28 assists. It is an extraordinary tally of goal contributions that suggest he will be a success in the Premier League. Erling Haaland was putting up similar numbers at Borussia Dortmund before Manchester City signed him in the summer of 2022. The Gunners will be hoping Gyokeres can have a similar effect. Arsenal have agreed a fee of £55million plus a further £8.6m in add-ons, the latter of which are being finalised. The Athletic recently claimed both parties are close to a total agreement and are now close to completing the smaller details. The Gunners have already signed Martin Zubimendi, Arrizabalaga, Norgaard and Noni Madueke, while a move for Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera is so close to completion, he is expected to join Arsenal's pre-season tour of Asia this week. Arteta's recent comments suggests this haul of players, of various ages, are a reaction to their recent frustrations. He has made it clear that he will rip up the Gunners' rulebook if it means securing success. Arteta recently revealed he has got rid of the so-called 'Tier System' he has referred to in the past. Arteta described players who "have the capacity to be starters" as 'Tier One' players, with squad players allotted the titles of 'Tier Two' and 'Tier Three.' The Athletic claimed Zubimendi and Madueke were both included in the 'Tier One' bracket. However, the ex-Manchester City assistant manager recently made it clear that he will no longer classify players in this fashion. He said: "The Tier One, Two, Three system I don't believe in that much now. "The way the game's evolving, the demands we put in with 70, 75 games per season. At the end we want to build a team, like other clubs already have, where you look at the squad and you cannot really identify who is going to play tomorrow. "If we get to that point, and that competitiveness has as well the right level of co-operation between the players, that's what we want.'


BBC News
a few seconds ago
- BBC News
Keep or sell Wissa? Fans on whether time is right for Bees exit
We asked whether Brentford should be doing all they can to keep Yoane Wissa or sell the striker, following news he has left the club's pre-season base in Portugal for talks over his future amid interest from other Premier League are some of your comments:Chris: It's perfectly simple really. Wissa MUST remain at the club and we have to rebuff any offers for him. Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo and Christian Norgaard contributed exactly two-thirds of our Premier League goals between them last season (44 of 66). Irrespective of Wissa's age and transfer value, we have to factor in the financial impact of being relegated, especially with a rookie manager. Surely?Elizabeth: If he's unhappy staying, perhaps it's time for him to Although we always seem to recruit well and someone steps up to the plate, I think after losing our manager, goalkeeper, captain and our best forward in this transfer window, and despite buying in some good replacements, losing Wissa would be disappointing. But if he wants to go and they meet our valuation, then he should Wissa is a fan favourite and clearly very popular around the squad. He also scored 19 non-penalty goals last season. All that is almost impossible to replace but I don't think we can stand in his way either. Close that transfer window now!Peter: Never believed it's worth trying to keep a player who wants to go. Get the best deal and move on. I have total faith that the future is Wissa has been a great servant of the club and one of the hardest-working players on the pitch. He would be of serious value to any club and deserves a chance, similar to Mbeumo, to play at a higher level and in Europe. However, his value should not be underestimated and £25m is a joke - £40-50m would show the respect to the player that they really want Mbeumo and Wissa have been great assets. however, with Mbeumo already gone and with all the other changes - particularly Thomas Frank and Christian Norgaard having also left - it's a chance to rebuild again for the future. There is a strong enough squad, and although sad to see him go, it's the right time for Wissa to earn a good sum somewhere else and for Brentford to cash in on this asset. Just when key players have left and you wonder how the Bees will manage, they always succeed in doing a little bit better. Look at Ivan Toney going - the team played even better without him. Same now with Wissa - the club get a worthwhile transfer fee and Wissa gets the big payout he I've always rated Wissa since we signed him. To lose both Mbeumo and Wissa would be tragic. I trust there will be a plan but I'm glad I don't have to make it!Sign up for news alerts on your Premier League club


Daily Mirror
a few seconds ago
- Daily Mirror
Viktor Gyokeres has already shown his true character with clear message to Mikel Arteta
Arsenal are now inches away from clinching the signing of Viktor Gyokeres, who has already shown Mikel Arteta the sort of player and character he'll be for the Gunners Vikor Gyokeres has already shown Mikel Arteta his willingness to go the extra mile as his transfer to Arsenal inches ever closer. The Swede has been at the centre of the long-standing saga with the Gunners locked in negotiations with Sporting CP over his future. While the two clubs were thought to be nearing an agreement worth £54.8million plus a further £8.6m in add-ons, the move was delayed over discussions on how to structure the bonuses included in the deal. The Premier League side have since come a step closer to securing the striker's signature with the two clubs nearly in complete agreement over the transfer, according to The Athletic. Discussions to conclude talks are reportedly set to start imminently with only the finishing touches needed to finalise negotiations, given the Swedish international has already agreed personal terms with the north London outfit. While Gyokeres' obscene goal-scoring record is well-known to his impending future club and the rest of European football, the work he puts in behind the scenes hasn't garnered the same level of attention. Gyokeres' rise to prominence, thanks to scoring 97 goals in 102 games for the Portuguese champions, saw him recently named the June-July cover star for Vogue Scandinavia. As part of the photoshoot for the publication, the striker opened up about his workout routine at home and how he's maximised his personal space to produce the best results on the pitch. Arteta would certainly be impressed with the forward's consistent routine and the work ethic he possesses as he explained on their YouTube channel:"I think physicality is a big part of my game. I always need to maintain it and keep getting better. "Yeah I do my pull ups, push ups, sometimes shoulder press. Sometimes after a game where I need to rest my legs, I can focus on the upper body so if I don't do it with the team, I can do the exercises at home. "So that's why I have my gym here, and I have the possibility to do it at home. So that's what I enjoy on a daily basis." The confirmation of Gyokeres will make it five major signings for Arsenal this summer after a season where they finished second in the league for the third campaign in a row. The Gunners have already brought in Martin Zubimendi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and Noni Madueke, while they reportedly remain keen on bringing in Eberechi Eze and Cristhian Mosquera this summer. They've spent close to £120m during the summer transfer window as they look to close the gap on Premier League champions Liverpool. They've also invested heavily with Arne Slot close to adding Hugo Ekitike to fellow new signings Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Giorgi Mamardashvili.