Manchester City

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Leicester City fan Kate Wattam, from podcast and fan channel Blue Tinted Glasses, has been discussing new Manchester City signing Jeremy Monga after he signed from the Foxes.

"It is really disappointing, we've seen a bit of Jeremy over the last couple of seasons and he is an exciting prospect. But, with the predicament we are currently in, the league we are currently in, it's really good money for us and it could be really important for our ascendancy back up the divisions, let's hope," Wattam told BBC Radio Manchester.

On the type of player City are signing, Wattam said: "He's very, very skilful. He's one of those players who has very pretty feet, a bit like Riyad Mahrez. He's a very balanced player, got pace, he can cut inside, got two feet so he is really exciting to watch.

"Defensively he needs a bit of work, he's still fairly slight. He has only just turned 17 so there is probably still a bit of development and growth to come from him.

Monga is the third-youngest player ever to play in the Premier League, after Arsenal duo Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman.

"With the team that Man City have, he'll thrive on it because he will be surrounded by really good players. He'll be able to flourish and he'll be able to show that flair that we all know he has got.

"I wish him well and I trust that [former Leicester City manager] Enzo Maresca will look after him and do right by him."

Hit play below to hear the full clip or listen on BBC Sounds here

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Manchester City's Marc Guehi says there is "no pressure at all" on England as they prepare to face Argentina in Wednesday's Fifa World Cup semi-final.

After only coming on as a late substitute in The Three Lions' opener against Croatia, the 26-year-old has since played every minute to help Thomas Tuchel's side reach the verge of their first World Cup final since 1966.

Standing in their way is old rivals Argentina - and their talisman, Lionel Messi.

"Big game with big players," Guehi said before the last-four clash.

"Both sides have big players. When you have that, you know it's going to be a good game. It's going to be a fun watch.

"It's one you're going to be talking about for a long time, so we're excited."

Asked what pressure the England players are feeling before such a huge game, Guehi added: "What's the pressure? The onus is on them, they are the world champions.

"They need to come out and defend their title so there is no pressure on us at all.

"It's the game of your life. You have do what you can for your country."

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We asked for your views on which players you're most excited to see in action during pre-season.

Here are some of your comments:

Gary: Divine Mukasa has not only got the best name in football, he is one of the best players I have seen in over 70 years of watching football. He has the rare quality of being two footed, creates and scores goals and is good in the air. Leicester were singing his praises in the short time he was there. He needs to be put in the side.

Harry: The obvious answer is Elliot Anderson, though I don't believe he'll be playing in our pre-season friendlies. Other than him, I'd love to see Vitor Reis and Claudio Echeverri if they're returning from their respective loans. Maybe even some academy lads like Ryan McAidoo or Mukasa. Closer to heart, I want Phil Foden back and firing next season.

James: Hopefully Anderson is able to replicate what he is doing for England because he has been class. Interested to see if he will fit in with the new system Enzo Maresca brings.

Ian: The 'first team' will still be on the beach after the World Cup. So these tours are nothing but money-spinners for the club and venues, and a disappointment to fans who turn up.

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Standing between England and a second World Cup final appearance is Lionel Messi's Argentina, and Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly is relishing the "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to face the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner.

It will be the first time Messi has faced England and, at 39, it could be the last. O'Reilly has never faced him at club level either.

"I can't wait for the challenge," the 21-year-old, who will probably have to defend against Messi one-on-one if he starts at left-back, told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He's coming towards the end of his career. He's the best player to ever touch a football pitch."

Messi began the tournament with a hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Algeria as he became the all-time leading World Cup goalscorer, equalling Miroslav Klose's record of 16, which had stood since 2014.

The Argentina captain has since scored five more to take that record - his total of eight goals putting him alongside France's Kylian Mbappe at the top of the Golden Boot race.

The winner of Wednesday's semi-final will face either France or Spain - who play each other on at 20:00 BST on Tuesday - in the World Cup final at the New York New Jersey Stadium on Sunday (20:00).

Hit play below to hear more from O'Reilly or listen on BBC Sounds here

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Barcelona are open to selling Spain forward Ferran Torres, 26, to avoid having to pay his former club Manchester City about £7m if they extend his contract. (Athletic - subscription required), external

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When the World Cup ends, regardless of who wins, we'll still have loads of great content every day as we build up to the new Premier League season.

We're already working on some exciting new things for 2026-27.

As well as all the fallout and reaction to the tournament, we'll quickly shift back towards club football, with pre-season coverage and all the latest transfer gossip and stories.

BBC Sport and teams across BBC Nations and Regions cover all 20 Premier League sides and we have dedicated club reporters, who will be travelling to bring you behind-the-scenes insights from pre-season tours.

We'll also have live pages for selected pre-season matches, as well as in-depth features and storytelling, giving you the latest updates before the new campaign.

Once the World Cup ends, some of the standout players will be hot property in the transfer market, with top clubs chasing their signatures.

Our reporters, including senior football correspondent Sami Mokbel, will be breaking the big transfer stories on our website and app.

We'll also have our daily transfer gossip column, wrapping up all the rumours from across the football world.

For fans of World Cup Predictor, a new weekly game will be launching immediately after the tournament, with five fixtures a week to predict the outcomes of. You'll be able to build up your streaks and share your results with friends and family.

Our quizzes will also continue to be available to play so you can test your knowledge of the beautiful game.

Our new Shorts tab in the BBC Sport app will be the home of sport videos with content throughout the week from your club, including explainers, pundit analysis, interviews and behind-the-scenes content. We'll also be starting to include more reaction from fans so you can see the latest hot takes and debate the biggest talking points from your club.

Live pages are going to get bigger and better with more interactive elements, more conversation and improved functionality. They'll have BBC Radio 5 Live audio commentaries for the Premier League and Champions League, as well as live video for FA Cup.

Remember, the best way to get all of this content is to download the BBC Sport app and follow your favourite teams and sports using the My Sport tab.

Once you've set this up, you'll have quick access to those pages at the top of your Home tab and we'll be able to serve you better, more personalised, experiences in future.

And when following your Premier League team, from the start of the 2026-27 season you'll also get Live Notifications, which give you score updates directly on your phone's lock screen during a match.

Read more about what content you can expect here

Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are both interested in Manchester City forward Omar Marmoush. (Teamtalk), external

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Pre-season is just around the corner and the Premier League returns in less than 50 days.

Here is Manchester City's pre-season schedule - with kick-off times in BST.

• 1 August v Inter Milan (Hong Kong) - 12:30

• 5 August v K-League All Stars (Seoul) - 12:00

• 9 August v Atletico Madrid (Seoul) - 12:00

• 16 August Community Shield v Arsenal (Cardiff) - 15:00

Which players, including young prospects from the academy, are you most looking forward to seeing in action?

Let us know here

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

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Manchester City announced the £3m signing of goalkeeper Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday before immediately sending him out on a season-long loan to Championship club Queens Park Rangers.

The 20-year-old has signed a five-year deal and returns to City having come through the academy at the club before joining Wednesday in 2021.

Charles made 36 senior appearances for the Owls and has also won 12 caps for Northern Ireland.

The deal is seen as a long-term signing and City sources have said Charles has been brought back as he fits in with the club's style of play in being a ball-playing goalkeeper.

The plan is for him to focus on his spell at QPR for the forthcoming season in order to develop and City will assess his progress next summer.

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On this day in 2018, Manchester City broke their transfer record and spent £60m to sign a 27-year-old Riyad Mahrez from Leicester.

Mahrez, who the Foxes initially signed for just £400,000 from Le Havre in 2014, had experienced a meteoric rise and was named the PFA Players' Player of the Year during Leicester's surprise Premier League triumph in 2015-16.

At the time, he said City's style of play is "perfect" for him and he wanted to be part of a club which is "redefining the English game".

Pep Guardiola was fresh off his first Premier League title win in his second season in charge and Mahrez added: "Pep Guardiola is committed to playing attacking football, and City's performances last season were outstanding.

"I think we can be successful over the coming years and I believe my own game can develop under Pep's management."

The success that followed for both club and player was phenomenal.

Despite starting just 14 league games in his opening campaign, Mahrez insisted he would "stay strong" and fight for his place and future at the club.

City retained the title and won the Carabao Cup and FA Cup to secure a domestic Treble. What followed in the next four years was three more Premier League titles, two more Carabao Cups, another FA Cup and the Champions League.

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The Algerian winger scored 78 goals and registered 59 assists across 236 appearances in all competitions for City. While often not being a guaranteed starter as Guardiola rotated his vast attacking options and favoured different players for different stages of seasons, Mahrez never dropped below 27 Premier League appearances in each of five seasons at the club and never dropped below 15 league goal involvements after his mixed debut campaign.

His feathery first touch, signature silky, slaloming dribbling style and cultured left foot made him a fan favourite across his time in Manchester, during which time he also captained Algeria to Africa Cup of Nations glory for only the second time.

Algeria's round of 32 exit at the 2026 World Cup marked Mahrez's retirement from international football but he continues to figure prominently for Saudi side Al-Ahli who he joined on his departure from City in 2023.

He left a Treble winner with Guardiola saying: "He is one of the guys in my career who I saw who enjoyed the most. Incredible skills and technical ability.

"I enjoyed as a manager to be with him. I had a special relationship with him."

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

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While at Coventry City at the age of 11, Jeremy Monga undertook specialist one-to-one coaching sessions in a programme that has hosted players from numerous academies around the country all the way up to the Premier League.

"Initially, Jeremy was quite a reserved character, but he goes about himself in the correct way," Callum Powell of CP Coaching Academy tells BBC Sport.

"He conducts himself well and he is very polite and well mannered. He brought a good energy but not one that was loud, boisterous or in your face.

"He gets his head down and works hard. When he is on the ball, he is not shy to showcase himself."

So even at that age, what did Powell notice were his strongest skills?

"His ability to manipulate the ball and his dribbling ability are his main traits but the most exciting thing about Jeremy when you are watching him is the ability to react and beat opposition players," Powell added.

"His footwork, agility and technical ability is superior from most players of his age. This is why he has attracted the interest he has. The way he shifts while at high speed is quite a rare trait to possess."

Alongside his coaching, Powell plays in the lower leagues of the English pyramid and says Monga's attitude resembles similarities to an England striker who is currently at the World Cup.

"I grew up and played with Ivan Toney while at Northampton, coming through the academy and into the scholars," said Powell.

"You look at him and see he has great technical ability but you would never have forecasted what he has gone on to achieve.

"Jeremy is similar to Ivan, the mentality is just different to others. He is not fazed, he doesn't feel the pressure, in fact he is motivated by the pressure. That is the biggest things.

"Working with professionals and the most talented youngsters, the main thing that sets them apart is their mentality and mindset and you can see Jeremy has that in abundance.

"It is down to Jeremy to put in the performances and work to get to where he needs to but I have no doubt that he will go on to achieve great things there and it is an unbelievable move for him."

• Manchester City have agreed £12.5m deal to sign Monga from Leicester City

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Plenty of players have made names for themselves at this World Cup, from goalkeepers like Cape Verde's Vozinha and Paraguay's Orlando Gill to New Zealand midfielder Elijah Just.

But though they might not have been familiar to fans, the extent of modern scouting means clubs all over the world will already have known about many of them – so how have their heroics at the tournament affected their standing in the game, and their value in the transfer market?

More than the Score's Mani Djazmi is joined Ben Littlemore from Transfermarkt, one of the world's foremost football databases. Lutz Pfannenstiel, sporting director at Aberdeen, also shares his footballing knowledge in today's episode.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Manchester City have re-signed 20-year-old goalkeeper Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday.

The Northern Ireland international, who has signed a five-year contract, will head straight to Championship side Queens Park Rangers on a season-long loan.

City have paid £3m fee plus add-ons for Charles, who joined Sheffield Wednesday in 2021 after progressing through the academy at City.

Charles told club media: "To be back at Manchester City is a very special and proud moment both for me and my family.

"I know first-hand what a special club City is and I am so excited about looking to the future.

"City take the development of young players very seriously so I know that my loan to QPR will only help me grow and improve as a player too.

"I'll now give everything I can for a successful season in the Championship before hopefully returning to Manchester a better goalkeeper."

Nottingham Forest have spoken to Feyenoord about Netherlands Under-21s right-back Givairo Read, 20, who is also on Manchester City's radar. (Mail, external)

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Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

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Manchester City defender Marc Guehi's absence from England training on Wednesday was precautionary and he is expected to be fit for Saturday's World Cup quarter-final against Norway.

The centre-back raised concerns over his availability for the game in Miami after he was confirmed as one of four players - Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice and Reece James the others - who did not train in the squad's first session since Sunday's win over Mexico.

It is understood Guehi's absence was because of muscular fatigue, but the issue is not thought to be serious.

Arsenal midfielder Rice's absence is linked to the neural hamstring lower back problem that has hampered him throughout the tournament.

But, like Guehi, the vice-captain is expected to be fit to face Norway.

There also remains hope that Chelsea right-back James, who suffered a hamstring injury in the goalless draw with Ghana on 23 June, will be available.

Hear from Erling Haaland, Nico O'Reilly and Rodri as BBC Radio Manchester's Mark Crossley has the latest Manchester City news from the World Cup.

Click play below or listen on BBC Sounds here

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

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Manchester City have confirmed the coaches that will join the club as part of Enzo Maresca's backroom team, with all having previously worked with the Italian.

Maresca signed a three-year contract to replace Pep Guardiola and compatriot Roberto Vitiello will become his new assistant manager.

The 43-year-old started his career at Parma and played for Cesena, Vicenza, Rimini, Siena and at Palermo along with Maresca.

Willy Caballero joins as a first-team coach and returns to City, where he made 48 appearances as a goalkeeper and helped them win the 2013-14 League Cup with some penalty shootout heroics.

The Argentine is a former team-mate of Maresca from when they played for Malaga under ex-City boss Manuel Pellegrini.

Fellow first-team coach Walker is another returning to the Etihad - having worked in the academy with Maresca before joining him at Leicester and Chelsea - while Denis Silva will also hold a similar role.

Michele de Bernardin will be the new head of goalkeeping, Marcos Alvarez has been appointed as fitness coach and Javier Molina is the new analyst.

Set-piece coach James French and goalkeeping coach Richard Wright will continue in the roles they held last season.

Barcelonaare competing with a host of Premier League clubs, including Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United for Colorado Rapids and Australia defender Lucas Herrington, 18. (Teamtalk), external

City, Arsenal and Liverpool are all chasing 18-year-old Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, who is starring in the World Cup for Morocco. (Football Insider), external

Meanwhile, Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho is considering Manchester City's Ruben Dias as he looks to add physicality to his side's defence. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external

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