I never thought the serious injury sustained by Rodri could spark the possibility of a huge positive – but here we are.
In typical international break fashion, I could have gone down several routes for this week’s piece.
I’m not a financial expert, nor am I an expert in legal proceedings or the law, and so I won’t be commenting on the verdict in City’s legal case against the Premier League’s associated party transactions rules.
I also expect to be exhausting the transfer rumour mill for talking points in the coming months.
This week, therefore, brings this train of thought: could Rodri’s absence actually become the reason why Pep Guardiola decides to extend his stay at Etihad Stadium beyond a decade?
Unless Guardiola does the unimaginable – or perhaps the imaginable given his remarkable abilities at reinventing a tactical system – and claims every piece of silverware without his Spanish metronome, he will surely want the opportunity to test his side at full strength one final time in the 2025-26 season, and possibly beyond.
As he said himself: “I’m part of this club, not just a manager, I LOVE this club, and always it will be that way.”
So would Guardiola really leave City – a club he loves – with the task of bringing Rodri back to his exceptional heights, preparing for life without the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva, and integrating a new head coach into the organisation… all in the same summer?
Of course not.
Regardless of success this season, I firmly believe Guardiola will want one last shot at ultimate cross-competition glory with a full-strength squad, and a fresh roster of talent to introduce into the next phase of post-Pep Manchester City.
A new contract, and one that will likely strike fear into the rest of the Premier League and world football, is surely only a matter of time.
Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra
