One of Manchester City's players will be crowned a European champion on Sunday when Spain take on England in Germany for the 2024 European Championship final.
Rodri will come away with yet another winner's medal in his career if the Spaniards come out on top, whilst John Stones, Phil Foden, and Kyle Walker have all been regular starters for the Three Lions.
City have three of the nation's 11 starters in their squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign and Pep Guardiola may hope that a success for their country at the Euros can help to motivate them to push for more success at club level next term.
England winning the Euros could also be fantastic motivation for some of the English players who did not make the cut in the Cityzens squad, such as Rico Lewis and Jack Grealish.
Gareth Southgate opted not to take Grealish to Germany for the Euros after the winger endured a difficult year on the pitch at The Etihad, and his future at City and with the national team is now in doubt.
Jack Grealish's struggles with City
The £100m signing from Aston Villa in 2021 did not do enough on the pitch in the Premier League to convince the England manager that he deserved to be on the plane.
Looking at his statistics from the 2023/24 campaign, it is difficult to argue with that decision from Southgate as Grealish left a lot to be desired from his performances for Guardiola's side.
The 28-year-old ace should be in the prime years of his career but failed to provide consistent quality on the pitch when called upon by the Cityzens last term.
Appearances
20
Goals
3
Assists
1
Big chances created
3
Key passes per game
1.4
Dribbles completed per game
0.9
As you can see in the table above, Grealish only produced four goals and assists combined in 20 Premier League appearances for the club last season.
He ranked within the bottom 24% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division for assists per 90 (0.09), which illustrates how little the English forward offered as a creative threat for his side.
His poor form during the 2023/24 campaign came after a promising term the previous year. Grealish had racked up five goals, seven assists, and 12 'big chances' created in 28 Premier League starts in the 2022/23 season.
The 28-year-old's struggles on the pitch seemingly cost him a place in the England squad and they may now cost him his future at Manchester City.
Football Insider reported earlier this month that the Premier League champions are prepared to cash in on the left winger during the summer transfer window.
The outlet claimed that the Cityzens will sell him if a team is prepared to offer a fair chunk of the £100m that they paid to sign him from Villa three years ago.
It added that the Villans are one of the clubs that would jump at the chance to land the English whiz if they could agree a deal with Guardiola's side.
City could now find a dream replacement for Grealish ahead of next season by swooping to snap up one of their reported transfer targets from a Premier League rival.
Man City's interest in Premier League winger
Football Insider recently reported that the Manchester giants are one of the teams interested in a possible move to sign Anthony Gordon from Newcastle United this summer.
The outlet stated that City have joined fellow English side Liverpool in the race to sign the Magpies speedster before the end of the transfer window.
It revealed that Guardiola is looking for a 'lethal' forward to bolster his team's attack ahead of next season and that Gordon has been identified as someone who could be exactly that.
Liverpool have already held talks with Newcastle over a potential deal for the England international but have not pursued it any further due to how high their demands are.
Football Insider did not reveal the details of those demands but CaughtOffside have reported that it could take around £75m to land the winger, who is also wanted by Chelsea and Manchester United, this summer.
Why Man City should sign Anthony Gordon
If City can find a team to sign Grealish for a sizeable fee before the end of the transfer window then they should swoop to sign Gordon as a dream replacement for him.
Firstly, the Newcastle star has already replaced the Cityzens dud in the England squad. He was called up to the Euros this summer as a left wing option ahead of the 28-year-old, possibly due to his fantastic form on the pitch for the Magpies.
Gordon enjoyed a terrific season in the Premier League for Eddie Howe's side and deservedly earned himself a call-up to play in Germany, albeit not as a first-choice option on the wing, as Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, and Phil Foden have occupied the attacking midfield roles.
The 23-year-old wizard, who was once described as a "constant threat" by U23 scout Antonio Mango, had the perfect build-up to the 2023/24 campaign with two goals and one assist in six games for England's U21s as they won the U21 European Championship trophy in 2023.
Appearances
35
20
Goals
11
3
Assists
10
1
Big chances created
16
3
Dribbles completed per game
1.5
0.9
As you can see in the table above, he followed that up with a sensational return of 22 direct goal contributions in 35 appearances for Newcastle in the Premier League.
He provided far more quality at the top end of the pitch than Grealish did for City with his four goal involvements in 20 games, one every five matches on average.
Gordon ranked within the top 21% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Men's Big 5 Leagues and European competitions for assists per 90 (0.27) over the last 365 days.
Imagine him & Rodri: Man City target Euro 2024 sensation who Pep loves
He is wanted by 2 clubs this summer
ByJoe NuttallJul 11, 2024
These statistics suggest that the electric winger would be a fantastic addition to Guardiola's squad as a replacement for Grealish, as he could provide more as both a scorer and a creator of goals.