Five players who would stay at Man City if they were relegated as Erling Haaland dilemma raised
After being found guilty of 114 Premier League charges, Manchester City could face expulsion from the English top flight — but if they did, which Cityzens would stay?
Enzo Maresca’s men, if the Italian is still there, could soon look vastly different. With Manchester City facing possible Premier League expulsion, the question remains: who will remain a Cityzen?
Erling Haaland, whose £500,000 per week, relegation-clause-lacking contract runs until 2034, could be forced to remain on City’s books and take a pay-cut, should another side fail to swoop in.
Five players who could stay at Man City if they get relegated
Starting with Phil Foden, a lifelong Manchester City fan, the 26-year-old can be counted on to etch himself into Cityzens folklore and secure the captain’s strip in the Championship.
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While many might anticipate Foden to jump ship, Premier League relegation would provide the perfect platform for the Englishman to cement himself as an all-time City legend.
Having struggled to secure himself a guaranteed spot in the Cityzens’ starting line-up since breaking out under Pep Guardiola, riding the Championship wave would surely make him a City mainstay.
Joining him is Rico Lewis, whose motivation would likely be similar. Should he choose to endure English second-tier football, his Manchester City legacy would be stamped.
The Englishman has featured for just 57 Premier League minutes this term, and made just four top-flight starts during Guardiola’s farewell campaign.
As another Manchester City academy graduate, Lewis’ options, in comparison with Foden, will be few and far between.
But an entire Championship season of starts to bring the Cityzens back to where they belong? It’s not only the smartest long-term option, but perhaps the best short-term one, too.
Finally, Abdukodir Khusanov will remain a Cityzen. Making the move to Manchester was a dream come true for the Uzbek defender, and he won’t trade it in to avoid Championship football.
More so than Lewis, but still less so than Foden, the 22-year-old will have options. Despite links to Chelsea since City’s guilty verdict on 114 charges, the Uzbek will remain committed.
It’s slightly more unexplainable in Khusanov’s case, who lacks roots in Manchester, but his loyalty is made evident in every City appearance.
The Uzbek, who started 22 Premier League matches last term under Guardiola, plays every match like it’s his last, and that do-or-die mentality is made for the Championship.
If Khusanov is thinking long-term, he’ll see that suffering the short-term second-tier pain for an eternal Manchester City legacy is worth it.
And, if all else fails, Chelsea will obviously buy him anyway, as the Blues always do. It’s a win-win.
READ NEXT: What Erling Haaland’s nine-year Man City contract says about relegation after 115 charges verdict
Young players who will remain at Man City
Ryan McAidoo is the fourth player that can be bet on to remain a Cityzen, regardless of the club’s potentially Championship-residing future.
Unlike Lewis or Foden, he hasn’t experienced much of the City first team, and his academy beginnings came with Colchester United, then Chelsea, then with the Cityzens.
At just 18 years of age, barring any sudden explosions or a transfer elsewhere before Premier League relegation is confirmed, a season in the English second tier would do wonders for McAidoo.
Upon City’s return to the Premier League, a season in the Championship would help to develop McAidoo’s physicality and overall game, and make him a staple figure in future Cityzens line-ups.
The second-tier can also provide a well-paced springboard for the Englishman, should he wish to leave City later down the line.
Finally, as the fourth English footballer on this list, and fifth overall, Kaden Braithwaite will stay put. Having been scouted by City at Under-7s level, the defender’s loyalty goes far back.
Like his attacking peer, Braithwaite is just 18 years old, and has time remaining to make an upward jump to other Premier League clubs, should his Championship stint not end in promotion.
A second-tier season would grow the Englishman’s game, prevent him from making any career-altering moves by jumping a level too high, too early, and would also stamp his City legacy. Nobody ever said it was easy becoming the next Vincent Kompany, right?
Topics: Premier League, Football News, EFL Championship, Phil Foden, Erling Haaland
Kedar Bayley