Pep Guardiola’s £129.6m gift to next Man City manager as exit reality clear

To be one of the best managers in the world, you have to have a knack for improving the players you work with. That's exactly what Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola does, and the club have reaped the rewards from his work over the last seven-and-a-half years.

Of the squad he inherited and added to at the start of the 2016/17 Premier League season, just four remain. John Stones and Ilkay Gundogan were summer arrivals, the former arriving from Everton for a fee of £47.5 million while the latter signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of around £20 million.

Both Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden were in the squad already, although Foden was only just making his way into the first team at the Etihad Stadium. At the time he was just 17 years old.

Looking at Transfermarkt’s estimation of the market value of players over time is one way to see the development of players under Guardiola’s management. Starting with the four who have worked with the manager since his first summer (although Gundogan did have a year away with Barcelona before returning this summer), the development is clear.

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The website has Stones’ value at €28 million (£23.4m) in the summer he joined City. The defender is currently valued at €38 million (£31.77m), a rise of £8.37 million. He did however reach a height of €60 million (£50.17m) in 2019.

For Kevin De Bruyne, he had a value of €45 million (£37.64m) when he joined City from Wolfsburg in 2015. Despite his age, the midfielder is given the same value today, between 2018 and 2019, he reached a height of €150 million (£125.42m)

Given the time of career that he has worked under Guardiola, Foden is the big winner. The first value of the midfielder comes in January 2018, with him given a value of €5 million (£4.18m).

Fast forward five-and-a-half years, Foden is now valued at €150 million (£125.42m). That’s a difference of £121.24 million.

Of the four in the squad for Guardiola’s first season, Gundogan is the only one to now have a lower value than when the manager arrived. He did however reach his peak value at the age of 29, during his first spell at the Etihad Stadium.

Taking into account the value rises of the players Guardiola has worked with for the longest, and considering that some are now past their peak, there is still a total rise of £129.61 million in value. In reality, the figure, taking into account every player he has worked with at the club, is likely to be much higher.

Those four are just an example of how Guardiola helps to improve players while working with them. The current squad are now reaping the awards.

In the last market value check by Transfermarkt at the start of this month, both Erling Haaland and Rico Lewis saw their value rise since the end of last season. Haaland has moved from €180 million (£150.5m) to €200 million (£167.23m), while Lewis has risen from €38 million (£31.77) to €40 million (£33.45m).

There remains uncertainty over the long-term future of the City manager, with him out of contract at the end of the season. But one thing is for sure, that his work means that whenever he does leave, the squad will be in a much better position.

Man City Champions League special

Manchester City want their European crown back. And this Manchester Evening News guide to the competition is the perfect companion to guide City fans through the new-look tournament.

In what could be the last try for Pep Guardiola, Kevin De Bruyne and a number of the squad that have won the last four Premier League titles, City are determined to go all the way once more in Europe.

2023 finalists Inter Milan, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are among the eight teams City must face in a new first phase that features 36 teams in one giant mini-league. City will hope and expect to make their way through the league phase and hopefully go all the way.

The Manchester Evening News will be there every step of the way to cover Guardiola's bid for glory as City look to put last season's disappointment behind them and show that they are the best team on the continent.

You can order your City Champions League guide now with worldwide delivery right here.