Manchester City star João Cancelo has joined Bayern Munich on loan until the end of the season. Not exactly the kind of transfer business we were expecting this January.
The Portuguese full-back, midfielder and jack of all trades who has been one of City‘s best players in recent years, not to mention one of the most highly-regarded talents in the Premier League full stop, departs from the club on a six-month contract.
Even more surprisingly, the deal includes an option for the Bundesliga club to make the transfer permanent for a reported fee of around £61.5 million come the summer transfer window.
And just like that, one of the Blue’s brightest sparks is out the door.
Joao Cancelo has joined Bayern Munich on loan until the end of the season.
As the reports of his imminent departure first broke, The Athletic detailed how the 28-year-old’s relationship with manager Pep Guardiola broke down due to a number of reasons.
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In addition to being substituted in the game against Chelsea, the dynamic wing-back is said to have walked straight from the team bus to the dugout for one game and failed to pay attention in team meetings.
It is thought that the Spanish coach had a conversation with him not long after the series of incidents which sealed his exit, despite being a firm favourite among fans and regular first-team player since 2019.
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The German giants unveiled him in his new colours on Tuesday morning.
“I’ve not had much game time in the past few weeks, which influenced my decision. It has nothing to do with my relationship with Pep. I really wanted to embark on this new adventure at such a club with such a big history. It’s a dream for me”
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Referencing a clip he released on Instagram earlier this week, he said: “The video may sound like a farewell, but it wasn’t meant that way. We have to see what these five months will bring, I want to be here with a clear head. We will then talk about it again at the end of the season.”
Though it still remains unclear, with the squad depth that the current champions possess, it seems unlikely that the club will bring anyone in as a replacement with hours left of deadline day.
Unsurprisingly, both the move itself and the swiftness with which it was completed has left some City fans scratching their heads.
While many seem to understand Pep’s reasons, especially when Cancelo himself expressed the desire to leave and his presence in the dressing room clearly became an obstacle, others aren’t so convinced.
Credit: Twitter
What do you reckon: right move to let him go or should the blue half of Manchester be doing everything they can to make sure he sees out his contract which runs until 2027?
Featured Image — Man City/Bayern Munich (via Twitter)
Sport
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
31st January 2023 
