7 former Man City players who are currently thriving away from the Etihad
Manchester City have one of the best squads in world football, but they also have plenty of former players shining at other clubs.
As Pep Guardiola’s squad chase domestic and continental success again, several of their former players are faring much better since leaving the club.
We’ve identified seven former City stars who are currently loving life since moving to pastures new.
Leroy Sane
Sane always looked destined to become one of the best players in the world during his early days at Manchester City.
Injury issues knocked him off course for a while but he’s truly realising his potential now, with eight goals and eight assists in the Bundesliga this season.
“For our style of play it’s important that we have a real No. 9,” Sane said in September about playing alongside Harry Kane.
“But Harry also drops deep so that we can rotate well. I love moving from attacking midfield up front with pace — it’s worked well with Harry a few times and with more games and training sessions it can definitely get better.”
Not only has he been exceptional with his creative passing, but the Germany international has been one of Europe’s top dribblers this season too. Baller.
🇩🇪 Leroy Sane in the Bundesliga this season:
🅰️ Assists – 8 🥇
🔐 Key passes – 49 🥇
🎁 Big chances created – 12 🥇
🤤 Dribbles – 63 🥇
🌡️ WS Rating – 8.26 🥇 pic.twitter.com/9pXJSpRW5Z— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) December 24, 2023
Cole Palmer
Despite making 14 appearances for City last season, and scoring in both the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup at the start of 2023-24, Palmer was sold to Chelsea for £40million.
Plenty of eyebrows were raised at Todd Boehly spending big money on another young winger, but Palmer has been one of Chelsea’s standout players this year.
The 21-year-old has scored six times and provided three assists in the Premier League, but arguably his biggest quality is the fearlessness which few of Chelsea’s squad currently possess.
His form might dip as Chelsea grapple for consistency, but Palmer has a good chance of making England’s squad for Euro 2024 at this rate.
Douglas Luiz
You might not realise that Luiz worked under Guardiola – which might be because he barely did.
The midfielder spent two years on City’s books but never made an appearance and was loaned out to Girona before being sold to Aston Villa for £15million.
Fast forward four years and the Brazilian is arguably one of the best midfielders in the Premier League and a vital cog for Unai Emery’s high-flying side.
It’s no surprise there’s talk of both Arsenal and City being heavily interested in Luiz’s signature in 2024.
Pedro Porro
Porro joined City from sister club Girona back in 2019, but he never actually made an appearance under Guardiola and was frequently loaned out before being sold to Sporting Lisbon for a modest fee.
The right-back shone in Portugal and has since returned to England. He made a somewhat unconvincing start at Tottenham but looks a player transformed for Ange Postecoglou’s table-toppers – and a current must-have in Fantasy Football.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
Bynoe-Gittens is following in the footsteps of Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland by honing his craft at Borussia Dortmund.
The exciting winger joined the club from City in 2020 and has produced enough flashes of talent to suggest a bright future in the game.
“We are convinced that his development is far from complete and are pleased that Jamie has decided ahead of time for a long-term future at BVB despite the great interest of several top clubs in Europe,” said Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl.
We need to talk about this Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (18) assist..pic.twitter.com/fAV5iHzZop
— Get German Football News (@GGFN_) February 23, 2023
Samuel Edozie
City spent a seven-figure fee to lure Edozie to their academy from Millwall in 2019 and it even looked like he would break into Pep Guardiola’s side at one point before injuries derailed his chances.
Southampton splashed out £10million on the winger in 2022 and Edozie is blossoming in the Championship this year, impressing with his dribbling skills and adding end product to his game. One to watch.
Eric Garcia
Garcia left City for Barcelona in 2021, but the 22-year-old defender found first-team opportunities increasingly hard to come by at Camp Nou.
After making the short journey to Girona for a season-long loan spell, Garcia has found himself at the heart of an unexpected title challenge – he’s played 15 times for the La Liga upstarts and scored once.
With the club still urgently needing funds, Barca might not be able to resist cashing in on their asset. Plenty of clubs should be interested in his signature.