5 biggest flops under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City

(L to R) Jack Grealish, Nathan Ake, Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan and John Stones.
(L to R) Jack Grealish, Nathan Ake, Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan and John Stones.

#3 Claudio Bravo

Claudio Bravo in action for Manchester City.
Claudio Bravo in action for Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola's decision to discard fan favorite and club legend Joe Hart just a few months after arriving at the club, wasn't popular with the Etihad faithful. Spending over £16 million on bringing in Chilean keeper Claudio Bravo from Barcelona didn't help matters either.

Bravo, unlike Hart, was expected to have the quality on the ball and passing range that Guardiola demands from his goalkeeper. However, the Chile international looked shaky and hardly inspired confidence.

In his first and only season as Manchester City's starting keeper, Bravo kept just nine clean sheets in 30 games, conceding 34 times.

He was quickly replaced by Ederson the following season. Bravo spent four campaigns at the Etihad, making just 61 appearances, conceding 60 goals and keeping only 20 clean sheets.


#2 Danilo

Danilo in Champions League action for the Sky Blues
Danilo in Champions League action for the Sky Blues

Back in 2017, the Sky Blues spent £27 million to bring Real Madrid full-back Danilo to the Etihad. At the time, Guardiola had just endured a difficult debut season in England and Danilo's pedigree and experience was expected to help an ailing defense.

The Brazilian could never settle under Guardiola and was often the target of criticism and frustration from the fans. He lasted two years at the club, making 60 appearances, scoring four goals and providing three assists.

Although City won the Premier League and Carabao Cup in each of Danilo's two seasons in Manchester, his individual performances left a lot to be desired. He was sold to Juventus in 2019.


#1 Benjamin Mendy

Benjamin Mendy (L) grapples with Pierre-Emile Hojberg of Tottenham Hotspur (R).
Benjamin Mendy (L) grapples with Pierre-Emile Hojberg of Tottenham Hotspur (R).

Even without his recent off-field issues, French full-back Benjamin Mendy remains one of the worst signings of Pep Guardiola's career. Manchester City spent nearly £52 million to bring him to the club from Monaco in 2017.

Mendy was a rare case in which a player did not improve under Pep Guardiola. The Frenchman failed to hit 20 league appearances in any of his five seasons at the club. He played 75 games, scoring just twice while providing 14 assists.

It will not be a surprise if Mendy never features for the club again and will be looked back on as an expensive disaster.

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Edited by Ritwik Kumar
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