After being found guilty of 114 Premier League charges, Manchester City could face expulsion from the English top flight – if that happens! Who will stay?
It is not at all certain that manager Enzo Maresca will stay either.
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Almost immediately after the news of Manchester City cheating was finally settled Erling Haaland, whose £500,000-a-week contract – with no relegation clause – runs until 2034, could be forced to stay at City and take a pay cut if another team doesn’t step in.
Phil Foden
Let’s start with Phil Foden. A lifelong Manchester City fan, the 26-year-old can be expected to write himself into Cityzens’ folklore and secure the captain’s jersey in the Championship.
While many expect Foden to defect, a relegation to the Premier League would provide the perfect platform for the Englishman to cement himself as a legend at City.
Having struggled to secure a guaranteed place in Cityzens’ starting line-up since breaking through under Pep Guardiola, riding the Championship wave would undoubtedly make him a regular part of City.
Rico Lewis
With him is Rico Lewis, whose motivations would probably be similar. Should he choose to endure English second division football, his Manchester City legacy would be marked forever.
The Englishman has only played 57 Premier League minutes this season, starting just four games in the top flight during Guardiola’s farewell season.
As another Manchester City academy player, Lewis’ options, compared to Foden, will be few and far between.
But a full Championship season of starts to bring Cityzens back to where they belong? It’s not only the smartest long-term option, but perhaps also the best short-term.
Abdukodir Khusanov
In the end, Abdukodir Khusanov will remain a Cityzen. The move to Manchester was a dream come true for the Uzbek defender, and he won’t trade it away to avoid Championship football.
More than Lewis but still less than Foden, the 22-year-old will have options. Despite ties to Chelsea since City’s guilty verdict of 114 points, the Uzbek will remain committed.
It’s a little more inexplicable in the case of Khusanov, who lacks roots in Manchester, but his loyalty becomes evident in every City appearance.
The Uzbek, who started 22 Premier League games last season under Guardiola, plays every game as if it were his last – and that do-or-die mentality is made for the Championship.
If Khusanov thinks long-term, he will see that it is worth it to suffer the short-term pain of the second division for an eternal Manchester City legacy.
And if all else fails, Chelsea will obviously buy him anyway, as the Blues always do. It’s a win-win.
Ryan McAidoo
Ryan McAidoo is the fourth player to bet on remaining a Cityzen, regardless of the club’s potential future in the Championship.
Unlike Lewis or Foden, he hasn’t experienced much of City’s first team, and his academy start came with Colchester United, then Chelsea and then Cityzens.
At just 18 years old – unless there is a sudden explosion or a transfer elsewhere before the Premier League relegation is confirmed – a season in the English second division would do wonders for McAidoo.
With City’s return to the Premier League, a season in the Championship would have helped develop McAidoo’s physique and overall play, making him a regular in future Cityzens squads.
The second division could also provide a good pace for the Englishman, if he wants to leave City later.
Kaden Braithwaite
Finally, as the fourth English footballer on this list – and fifth overall – Kaden Braithwaite will stay. After being spotted by City at U7 level, the defender’s loyalty goes way back.
Like his attacking peers, Braithwaite is only 18 years old, and has time left to make a move up to other Premier League clubs, if his Championship spell does not end in promotion.
A second-tier season would strengthen the Englishman’s game, prevent him from making career-altering moves by jumping a level too high, too soon, and would also leave a mark on his City legacy. No one ever said it was easy to become the next Vincent Kompany, right?
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