It’s the kind of transfer that you never stop regretting. Since his departure to Saudi Arabia, Riyad Mahrez has left a void at Manchester City.
Pep Guardiola’s side are unrecognizable this season after outrageously dominating English football for several years.
Like his former club, the Algerian winger has not benefited from his departure on a sporting level, apart from the incredible salary he receives from the Saudi club Al Ahly. His level has clearly declined, particularly in the Algerian national team where he is only a shadow of himself.
Mahrez signed with Al Ahly in July 2023 for a dream salary: 50 million euros annually. He had just won the European Champions League and the English Championship with City, the fifth of his career. Was it a mistake to leave at 32? Some think so even if it is undeniable that the offer he received cannot be refused at this age.
Many also believe that the Manchester club should have made the effort to keep him or, failing that, to replace him. If everything went well last season, at least in the league since City kept their title, the team is unrecognizable this season.
Since the beginning of November, its journey has been that of a relegation, displaying this incredible statistic of seven defeats in ten matches in the Premier League and the Champions League, for only one victory and two draws. This is unheard of in Pep Guardiola’s career. It is obvious that this is not a slump.
It was then that Riyad Mahrez remembered the good memories of everyone, the public, the media and the technicians.
Letting Mahrez leave without replacing him, a big mistake from Guardiola?
It is true that during his last season in Manchester, the Algerian was no longer an indisputable starter and had spent a lot of time on the bench. But many now feel that the team misses his magical controls, his confusing dribbling and his breakthroughs down the right flank.
Thierry Henry, the former Arsenal and France striker, is among those who think letting the Algerian left-footer leave was a mistake by Guardiola.
« This is the first time that we can really question Pep’s choices. Letting a player like Mahrez go, without replacing him adequately, is incomprehensible “, criticized the Frenchman on Sky Sports.
For him, Mahrez “ brought unique creativity, an ability to unlock situations in big matches. Haaland scores, but he also misses chances. And today, there are no longer players like Mahrez to offer this alternative ».
Pep Guardiola anticipated this type of criticism a year ago. “ It’s not easy to replace these kinds of players “, he declared in December 2023 after his reunion with Riyad Mahrez in Saudi Arabia, on the sidelines of the Club World Cup.
The Spanish technician had explained that the Algerian “ don’t feel the pressure » and that “ he’s a guy who has to play every day to be happy ».
But he had already almost expressed regret. “ We still miss Riyad in the locker room as well as on the pitch, he who was always a remarkable player (…) He is one of the guys in my career that I appreciated the most. Incredible qualities and technical capacity », admitted the Manchester City coach.
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