5 months ago
49 Despite a surprising loss in the FA Cup final against rivals, Man United, the 2023/24 campaign can still be considered as a success for Pep Guardiola and Man City.
A record-breaking fourth English top-flight title in a row – the first time anyone has achieved the feat in football history – isn’t to be sniffed at, even if it may have been considered as a foregone conclusion during the latter part of the campaign.
Guardiola has the luxury of having some of the best players on the planet at his disposal, so if they all turn up – and professional standards would suggest they need to do just that in every game – there aren’t too many teams that can live with them.
Julian Alvarez wants starting role at Man City
Indeed, according to WhoScored, the FA Cup final loss was only their second in 36 games in all competitions. The other was the Champions League defeat against Real Madrid.
Being part of such a successful squad must be a source of immense pride and satisfaction for the players, however, one important member of the squad isn’t too happy with his lot.
“In terms of interesting cases, keep a close eye also on the situation of Julian Alvarez. There were many rumours in the recent days, especially about Atletico Madrid,” Fabrizio Romano said to CaughtOffside for his Daily Briefing.
“Let me clarify one thing, guys, the message I’m getting as of today, and I can guarantee it will be the same for the entire transfer window, but as of today, is that Manchester City are not considering any loan for Julian Alvarez. This is the point.
“[…] So, several clubs are asking for information about Julian Alvarez. Why? Because they know from those also close to the player that Julian wants to play more.
“He could be one of the surprising names for the summer transfer window in case the player decides to ask for any new opportunity, but it will really depend on Manchester City.”

Given his standing in the game – the 24-year-old has won an incredible amount of major honours for club and country – it’s no real surprise to learn that Alvarez wants more of a starting role at City.
His importance to his club isn’t in question, though the Argentinian has the unfortunate task of trying to displace Erling Haaland as the preferred front man, which is near on impossible because of the extremely high level that the Norwegian plays at week in and week out.
Even if Alvarez were to make his displeasure clear, that’s unlikely to sway the City board from their objectives – for which the striker will play a full part.
