Pep Guardiola Addresses Kyle Walker’s Desire to Leave Manchester City
In a surprising turn of events, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Kyle Walker, the England defender, has expressed a desire to leave the club. This revelation comes after Walker was notably absent from the squad during Manchester City’s emphatic 8-0 win over League Two side Salford City in the FA Cup on Saturday.
During a post-match press conference, Guardiola was asked about Walker’s omission from the squad. He explained that Walker had approached City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, on Thursday, requesting to explore opportunities to play in “another country” during the January transfer window.
“It’s not easy for me to say because I should tell him, but he’s not here, so two days ago Kyle asked to explore the options to play abroad at the end of his career,” Guardiola shared with the media. “He’s been our right-back, giving us something we didn’t have, but now in his mind he would like to explore to go to another country to play his last years for many reasons. For that reason, I prefer to play other players whose mind is here. He went to Txiki. He asked to explore, it doesn’t mean it’s going to happen because you never know the situation.”
Walker’s potential departure is not entirely unexpected. The 34-year-old defender, who joined Manchester City from Tottenham in 2017, has had previous opportunities to leave the club. In 2023, Walker was on the verge of joining Bayern Munich, who offered him a two-year contract. However, after a private dinner with Guardiola, Walker decided to stay and subsequently signed a new three-year deal, even being appointed as the club captain.
Despite interest from Saudi Arabia last summer, no move materialized. However, after a challenging start to the current season, Walker has found himself out of favor and no longer a regular starter for City.
Guardiola elaborated on Walker’s situation, saying, “He asked [to leave] two years ago after the treble. Bayern wanted him but the offer was not good enough and the club [told] him how important he is. We cannot understand the success we had these years without Kyle. It’s impossible.”
Guardiola continued to express his gratitude for Walker’s contributions, stating, “I respect a lot because I’m more than grateful since he has been [here] many years for us. His first season here, we started to win, win, win, win, win. He’s been important for the national team and important for our team but he said that ‘I want to explore, my mind and my heart and I want to explore it’. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”
- Kyle Walker has asked to leave Manchester City.
- Walker was left out of the squad for the 8-0 FA Cup win over Salford City.
- Walker previously considered a move to Bayern Munich in 2023.
- Interest from Saudi Arabia last summer did not result in a transfer.
- Walker has lost his place as a regular starter this season.
As the January transfer window approaches, the future of Kyle Walker remains uncertain. While his desire to explore opportunities abroad is clear, whether a suitable offer will materialize is yet to be seen. For now, Manchester City fans and the football world will be watching closely to see how this situation unfolds.
Originally Written by: ESPN
