Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola has defended the club's decision to sell key trio Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko this summer. The three players made their way to London during the window, joining a number of high-profile exits from the Etihad over the break.
Whilst it's early days, there has already been some exciting flashes of what could come from the recruits at their new clubs. Sterling made his return to London with Chelsea - where he grew up as a boy before moving at a young age to pursue his footballing career.
The England international has one assist in his opening three Premier League fixtures for the Blues, though he is yet to hit top gear at the club along with the rest of Thomas Tuchel's men. With the German coach still set to make some additions to the squad, time may be needed before he can fire at the same rate he did with City.
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Jesus and Zinchenko both made the move to rivals Arsenal, rejoining manager Mikel Arteta - who was assistant manager for both during his Man City days. The pair have already impressed, with the Brazilian having five goal involvements in his opening three, while the Ukrainian international has been the go-to left-back option so far.
A common theme for all three at the Etihad was their ability to win trophies. However, their lack of game time and Guardiola's rotation options left doubt over their future before the move. Despite being big losses to the club, the manager has defended the decision to move them on.
Speaking to Sky Sports on Sunday, he said: "If you force one person to stay when he doesn't want to stay, how can you get the best from him? It's impossible. I wouldn't want to move anyone on now. I love this squad I have."
It remains to be seen how that choice will play out for the head coach. However, he may come to regret not being able to offer more to keep them from moving on.
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