• Football
  • Boxing
  • UFC
  • Home
  • Football
    • England
    • Transfer News
    • Premier League
    • Champions League
    • Lionel Messi
    • Cristiano Ronaldo
    • EA FC 25
    • Wrexham
  • Boxing
    • Tyson Fury
    • Anthony Joshua
    • Oleksandr Usyk
    • Mike Tyson
    • Jake Paul
    • Logan Paul
  • UFC
    • Dana White
    • Conor McGregor
    • Khabib Nurmagomedov
    • Jon Jones
    • Paddy Pimblett
    • Joe Rogan
  • Other Sport
    • Athletics
    • Formula 1
    • MMA
    • Motorsport
    • NBA
    • Darts
    • NFL
    • Snooker
    • Wrestling
    • Tennis
    • Cricket
    • Golf
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Man City could have gone bust if they hadn't sold one player

Home> Football> Football News> Man City

Published 16:16 14 Jan 2024 GMT

Man City could have gone bust if they hadn't sold one player

They could have gone bust.

Chris Byfield

Chris Byfield

Manchester City would have gone bust if they hadn’t sold one of their players.

Abu Dhabi's riches and Pep Guardiola’s guidance have seen City become among the most successful clubs of the modern era, having won an FA Cup, Champions League and Premier League treble in the 2022/23 season.

But things at the club were significantly different before Sheikh Mansour’s 2008 takeover.

Advert

Stuart Pearce took over as City boss back in 2005 after impressing as caretaker manager, but his two-year spell came with several off-the-field issues.

The club were in such disarray that Pearce claimed that had they not sold Shaun Wright-Phillips at the time City may not have survived.

Pearce told talKSPORT: “When I was Manchester City manager I managed nine matches at the end of a season.

“I was acutely aware of the financial situation of the football club as in, it was bust, to be quite honest.

“Two weeks before the season started the chief executive called me in on the Friday and said look we’ve had an offer of £21million. It will be paid in cash on Monday morning from Chelsea and if you don’t sell him we’ll go bust as a football club.”

Pearce sanctioned Wright-Phillips’ departure to Chelsea and added that transparency was key to getting the club out of their precarious situation.

Advert

“I knew before we had that conversation that if put in this situation, the club comes before me or the chief executive or anybody,” he said.

“The important thing for me was to get the message out there of the expectation. Tell the supporters ‘Look, this is where we’re at at the moment, we have no money as a football club’.

“We’ve had to sell [Nicolas] Anelka six months ago, we’re selling Shaun Wright-Phillips now but the club has to remain standing and has to remain a Premier League club."

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Football, Manchester City, Premier League

Chris Byfield
Chris Byfield

Sport journalist with experience writing on football, rugby, boxing and the Olympics. I'm also a Crystal Palace fan. Please don't hold this against me.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

an hour ago
3 hours ago
  • an hour ago

    Steven Gerrard had zero doubts when naming the atmosphere in world football that compares to Liverpool at Anfield

    Gerrard experienced some of the best atmospheres in European football during his playing and managerial career.

    Football
  • an hour ago

    Xabi Alonso is already considering huge Real Madrid u-turn and it will impact Trent Alexander-Arnold

    The Real Madrid boss will reportedly make a shock change to his Club World Cup lineup.

    Football
  • an hour ago

    Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr set for major ownership change just days after he signed £340 million deal

    Cristiano Ronaldo has just committed his future with Al Nassr but the club's ownership is set for a restructuring.

    Football
  • 3 hours ago

    Real Madrid vs Juventus referee caused fury after dressing room video prompted calls for UEFA investigation

    The referee will take charge of Real Madrid's Club World Cup round of 16 clash with Juventus at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

    Football
  • Man City fans want one player sold immediately after shock Club World Cup defeat to Al Hilal
  • Man City hit with huge punishment after accepting Premier League rule breaches
  • Former Man Utd player tips club to finish ABOVE Arsenal if they complete two major summer signings
  • Man City fans want one player sold ‘straight away’ after dramatic draw with Arsenal