Manchester City are entering an era of change following Pep Guardiola's departure, but it is not just in the dugout where things could look different. One of the biggest fears heading into the post-Guardiola era concerns who will leave this summer.
City's squad showed this season how close they are to regaining the Premier League title. Winning both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup demonstrated the team's potential, and if not for a few slip-ups, the title would have been heading to the Etihad Stadium as well.
Guardiola was a genius for the Blues and helped make them competitive across four competitions for a decade. However, he would not have been able to do that without a team of quality players, not just a starting eleven. City's strength in depth fostered a winning culture, and without that, their success would have been impossible.
With the World Cup approaching, there is now a nervous wait to see which players, if any, decide to seek a new challenge. It is already known that Bernardo Silva and John Stones will move on. Rodri and Josko Gvardiol have given less-than-committed answers about their future in recent weeks, while question marks also surround James Trafford. Adding to that list is defender Nathan Ake.
Since joining from Bournemouth in 2020, Ake has been a dependable player for the Blues. While not always a starter, the 31-year-old has proven he can perform when called upon. That was evident in the final weeks of the Premier League season when he stepped in against Brentford and Crystal Palace to help keep the title race alive as fixtures piled up.
It was after that Palace game when Guardiola showered praise on Ake. "Nathan, the job he has to do in terms of focus, is one of the best, and there are few players who are more reliable," the former City boss said. "If he has to play every few days, he struggles, but the final of the Carabao Cup, the last game against Brentford, he is complete. Wow. He is one of the best I ever had. Apart from that, he is one of the most incredible teammates for his manager and his teammates and has been an incredible signing from Bournemouth. He played in the Champions League final in Istanbul, that is how reliable he is. Top guy and a top player."
That reliability is crucial when a team like City has so many fixtures over the course of a season. But as he heads into the final year of his contract, Ake could be forced to consider his options.
On Monday night, Ake was an unused substitute for the Netherlands as they beat Uzbekistan 2-1 in their final World Cup warm-up match. With Ronald Koeman's side starting their World Cup campaign against Japan on Sunday, limited substitutions are expected. At the previous two international tournaments—the 2022 World Cup and 2024 Euros—Ake played a pivotal role for the Netherlands. However, he now finds himself on the fringes of his national team, which is directly correlated to his playing time at City.
Realistically, this World Cup and the 2028 Euros are Ake's last opportunities to be a key player for his country. To win his place back, he needs to be playing domestically on a regular basis. Guardiola's praise last month was damning in that respect. City cannot give Ake the minutes he would prefer, and as such, the Blues risk losing him.
While his departure would not elicit the same outpouring of sadness that Bernardo's and Stones' exits provided, City would be losing a type of player who, over the course of a season, can prove crucial. In some ways, finding those replacements is trickier than landing marquee signings.
