If Phil Foden is really worth €500m to Man City, then maybe Pep Guardiola should pick him
IF Pep Guardiola really believes Phil Foden is worth 500million euros, the teenager would be playing every week. The latest glowing reference appeared in SunSport’s serialisation of tribute book Pep’s City: The Making of a Superteam. Pep is operating on a narrow bandwidth, veering from calling Foden the “most talented player” he has ever seen […]
IF Pep Guardiola really believes Phil Foden is worth 500million euros, the teenager would be playing every week.
The latest glowing reference appeared in SunSport’s serialisation of tribute book Pep’s City: The Making of a Superteam.
Pep is operating on a narrow bandwidth, veering from calling Foden the “most talented player” he has ever seen to putting that unhelpful price-tag on his head.
You have to wonder what all these statements are doing to a kid who only turned 19 in May.
Confused? He’s entitled to be. Usually, it is the media who are accused of puffing up players with lazy or inaccurate assessments.
Foden is clearly gifted but the talent bar at Manchester City has been raised to exceptionally high levels.
Even so, Pep has made the jigsaw fit before. When promoted to coach Barcelona’s first team, he inherited the blessed talents of Lionel Messi.
Although the Barca star had been given his head by Frank Rijkaard, Guardiola is often credited for the Argentine’s rapid development.
He stretched his brain, with Messi mastering his art by the time they won the Champions League under Guardiola in 2009 and 2011.
Guardiola instantly took to the playmaker. He encouraged and nurtured him, giving Messi the platform to eventually emulate, then overtake Ronaldinho.
NATURAL HEIR
It can be done.
If Pep really rates Foden, a product of City’s academy, the forward should be getting more than a taster.
He sent him on 60 seconds before extra-time in the Community Shield and he scored in their shootout win over Liverpool at Wembley.
There was ten minutes at West Ham the following week in the Premier League, when City had already established a four-goal lead.
He got a full 90 under his belt at Preston in the Carabao Cup — but was benched again for the 2-0 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb.
Foden was given a minute, which turned out to be enough time for him to score their second of the night.
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Four sporadic appearances in their first 12 games is a poor reflection on a player Pep seems to rate so highly.
Guardiola claims he is the natural heir to David Silva’s throne when he leaves at the end of the season.
In a latest piece of Pep propaganda — which, even if he says so himself, is a “good read” — the City gaffer claims to have identified Foden as a potential star way back in 2016.
Pep says: “He is the only player that can’t be sold under any circumstances. Not even for 500m euros.
“When Silva leaves, we know who our next magician will be.” Hmmm.
Foden would have read all that while preparing with England’s Under-21s for today’s Slovenia clash.
IT’S A BIT RICH
IF you ever needed a reminder that footballers love the game, then Matt Ritchie’s appearance in the St James’ Park press box last Sunday certainly helped.
Ritchie, crocked after Leicester’s Hamza Choudhury nobbled him in a Carabao Cup tie, lived every minute of Newcastle’s 1-0 victory over Manchester United.
When there were groans after Miguel Almiron hesitated in front of goal before being dispossessed by Harry Maguire, Ritchie had enough about him to turn round and exclaim: “Easy to say when you’re sat there, fellas!”
Quite right, Matt — there’s no comeback to that.
WORTH A SHOT
IT’S about time someone made their move for Gareth Ainsworth after the brilliant job he has done for Wycombe.
Sunderland showed their hand yesterday but there should be a queue of clubs lining up for his services including Championship trio Reading, Millwall and Barnsley, who are all currently without a manager.
Ainsworth, 46, guided Wanderers to promotion two years ago and operates with a minuscule playing budget of less than £2million a year in League One.
With a record like that, the former QPR midfielder should be one of the most wanted managers outside the Premier League.
SHACKLE RAMS
DERBY should keep their heads down after four players disgraced themselves on a boozy night out.
Instead they lauded Tom Lawrence after he made the Championship team of the week.
Lawrence, one of those arrested after smashing his car, is lucky to still have a career.
There is a time and a place to flag-up accolades — and it’s certainly not now.
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It must seem strange for him that Guardiola has built him up before the rest of the world has even had a chance to get a good look at him.
He is working for an excitable character, a complicated man who works at two speeds — fast and very fast.
Pep is obviously protective of Foden but to live up to that world-record transfer valuation, he needs to play. Now that would be priceless.