Guardiola’s new Man City deal means nothing if the stars also don’t sign an extension.

Manchester City Earlier this month manager Pep Guardiola did the easy part by signing a two-year contract extension at the Etihad Stadium. However, the real challenge will be resolving the futures of the 16 first-team players whose contracts expire between now and the end of Guardiola’s new deal in 2027.

Erling Holland, Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grish, Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden And Ballon d’Or winner Rhodri All are in that bracket, and the club has a growing backlog of players who will face important decisions about their futures in the coming months.

Some very large numbers are hovering over the city. gave 115 charges of violation The Premier League’s financial regulations, an eight-point gap between themselves and the league leaders Liverpool Ahead of Sunday’s clash at Anfield, a five-game losing streak had just ended. 3-3 draw on Tuesday with the Feyenoord i Champions League — a shocking result in which they conceded three times in the final 15 minutes — and 4-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur Last Saturday, it was City’s heaviest on home turf since 2003. Premier League Far from it, the city denies all the allegations. The hearing at the Center for International Dispute Resolution has been ongoing since September.

The events at the London hearing have now been linked to a loss of City’s extraordinary form in all competitions, however, what happens next with the players waiting for clarity on their futures. Uncertainty over the outcome of the Premier League hearing and what defeat could mean for City — the club could be fined, hit with a hefty points deduction or even kicked out of the league itself, though It’s a highly unlikely scenario — meaning players and their representatives will be reluctant to commit to a new deal until the club’s future is known.

There is already evidence of players being wary of negotiating new deals because of the growing allegations. Since the charges were announced in February 2023 — excluding backup goalkeepers Stephen Ortega And Scott Carsonwho both signed extensions this summer — no first-team player has signed a new deal at City since. Kyle Walker Signed a two-year extension in September last year.

As Liverpool have discovered this season, let on Muhammad Salah, Virgil van Dijk And Trent Alexander Arnold To enter the final year of their contracts at Anfield, failure to settle at least 18 months before any key player’s contract expires could leave the player with nothing at the end of their current contract. It happens. As it stands, City is approaching a critical period for its “Class of 2027.”

Holland, Grealish, Rudy, Foden, Ruben Dias, Manuel Akanji, Mateo Kovac And Nathan Ake All are out of contract in 2027. Some will be deemed expendable by the club and moved on sooner, but Haaland, Foden, Rodri and Dias will see preferential extensions and therefore be signed up until the end of 2025. However, if City’s legal battle with the Premier League drags on until the end of May – something both sides are expected to do with both sides being able to appeal the initial decision, which is expected in January – it is inconceivable that Either of those players will commit to a new deal before the decision is known.

Yet there are other players to address before 2027. Ilkay Gundogan And De Bruyne is both out of contract at the end of this season. At 34 and 33 respectively, both midfielders could leave next summer, with De Bruyne has been saying this week that his future is yet to be decided.. He said that there will be a discussion. “If nothing happens, this will be my last year.”

Ahead of next summer, there are six players — Silva, Walker, Ortega, Ederson, John Stones And James McAtee — who will be out of contract in June 2026, meaning talks must move quickly with those City wants to keep. Apart from 22-year-old McAtee, all of these players are aged 30 or over, so if they are to move on, City will have to make new signings to replace them. When you add Eq. Change of key personnel in the CityLong-serving director of football Txiki Begiristain is set to be replaced by Sporting CP’s Hugo Viana next summer, signaling a turbulent period for the club with a number of contracts coming to an end in a short period of time. To be resolved.

Guardiola’s contract extension at least removed the key question of the manager’s commitment to the club. With the 53-year-old’s previous deal set to expire next summer, any continued failure to sign a new deal would have made it virtually impossible to offer players — both current squad members and potential targets — A vision of a bright future. The city

That said, convincing a manager to sign a new contract is not the same as doing it with a player. If a player signs a new contract, a rival club must pay a transfer fee to get him out of the deal if he wants to move on, and few clubs have the financial power to reward City’s star player. is Once a player signs a long-term contract with City, they are bound by it for the duration of the contract.

At the other end, managers come and go. In August 2015, Manuel Pellegrini signed a two-year contract extension as City manager to commit to the club until 2017, although the wheels were already in motion for Guardiola to take charge in 2016. From City’s side it silenced speculation about his future and enabled the club to offer players clarity and certainty.

Only time will tell if Guardiola’s new deal works out or if it’s just Pellegrini doing the same, but the real test of City’s stability and the club’s confidence in its future will be whether Guardiola signs a new deal. Not focused. This test is about being able to convince his players to follow Guardiola, but City are already fighting against the clock.