Manchester City: Keeping Eric García is a mistake

Despite Barcelona raising their offer to £15 million, Manchester City refused to sell Eric García and will lose him for free next summer.

With Eric García refusing to renew his contract at Manchester City early this summer window and only agreeing a move to Barcelona, the pressure was on City to make a decision. They faced two options: let the player go at a fee below his value, or keep him and lose him for free at the end of the season. In the end, while I believe that García is a £25-30 million player, a £15 million fee was far better than a disgruntled player already committed to the exit door.

García is now reportedly extremely angry over the club’s decision, and the the reason his morale is relevant is because the move was in the club’s self-interest. City have effectively made the decision to pay a £15 million loan fee for a backup defender, a move that baffles the mind. City had a set minimum value of £20 million, which is admirable as they do not want to be pushed around as they were by Bayern Munich during the Leroy Sané saga, but it is not worth behavior that reeks of pettiness.

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There seems to be virtually no chance that García will turn around and agree to renew, and this speaks to what has been a very poor window for City in terms of getting maximum value for their players. City will now lose García, Angeliño, and Tosin Adarabioyo for a paltry combined £18 million, when the two Spaniards are worth a minimum of £25 million each in my opinion. Other clubs could have turned around £60 million for these three, but with City looking to just get Adarabioyo and Angeliño out the door as quickly as possible and refusing to sell García, they have lost significant money.

I doubt the young defender will even be fully committed, and although Pep Guardiola has clearly chosen him as one of his favorites, as evidenced by his continued involvement, I doubt he will play well. Therefore, this move seems more petty and to send a message rather than actually acting in the most pragmatic way possible. City may not need the money, but whether maintaining a principle is worth a £15 million loss for any business is a serious question.