Rodri Shines as Spain Beat France in World Cup Semi-Final
Manchester City midfielder Rodri delivered a masterclass in the World Cup semi-final on Tuesday night, helping Spain cruise past favourites France. The performance has reignited debate over City's transfer policy, as the club faces a dilemma over Rodri's future with less than a year left on his contract.
City have long operated under a set of golden rules that served Pep Guardiola well. The club generally refuses to pay over internal valuations for targets and inserts clauses into sales to generate additional revenue. However, the most important rule has been that no unhappy players should remain in the squad. If a player wants to leave and brings a good offer, City nearly always accepts, as Guardiola needs full commitment from his squad.
City's History of Letting Quality Players Leave
This policy has seen several quality players depart, including Ferran Torres, Julian Alvarez, Aymeric Laporte, and Riyad Mahrez. All could have continued playing for City and have represented their countries at this summer's World Cup, but they wanted moves and were granted them. It almost never happens that City refuse exits.
But after Rodri's performance against France, it is difficult to see how they could possibly sell him. Even with less than a year left on his contract and if he will not sign an extension, it is hard to put a price that would justify getting rid of a man who once again looks like the best midfielder in the world. Guardiola predicted this would happen, suggesting City expected it too.
Options for Rodri Reduced to Two
Some would not want to keep a player if they do not want to renew, and that is understandable. There will likely be a queue of suitors for Rodri at the end of the World Cup, especially if Spain go on to win another major tournament. But for City, what were three options for Rodri have surely now reduced to two after his return to his best this summer.
The best case is that he signs the new deal he has been offered. Failing that, one more year of Rodri feels far better than any fee that would take him to a rival club. With so much uncertainty over City's midfield ahead of the new season, Rodri and Elliot Anderson have been two of the best players in any position at the World Cup. That could be the difference between winning the Premier League or Champions League this season or not.
City already hold those cards, and it would be crazy to throw one of them away. A difficult situation with Rodri has become more straightforward.
