Blues eye good news on gab
JESUS SET FOR PRE-SEASON TOUR AS EYE INJURY DOESN’T NEED AN OPERATION
CITY fans can breathe a sigh of relief – Gabriel Jesus doesn’t need an operation.
The Brazilian was stretchered off last week during a friendly with Argentina after Blues team-mate Nicolas Otamendi inadvertently elbowed him in the face and fractured his eye socket.
There were concerns he would need surgery which could, potentially, have put him out of the start of pre-sesaon.
But the 20-year-old has updated fans with his progress on his social media accounts. On Twitter, Jesus wrote: “I won’t have to have an operation! I should be back within three weeks! Many thanks to all the fans for the support and love.”
He posted a longer message on his Facebook page, adding: “Hi people! Yesterday I did a facial resonance, several exams and I have GOOD news! My recovery is going very well and I won’t need surgery.
“In 15 days I will be reassessed, but all signs show that I will be back within three weeks! Thanks a lot to everyone that sent me messages, who supported me, sent positive vibes and prayed for me!”
It means he should be able to link up with City for their pre-season tour of America, the first match of which is against United in Houston on July 20.
Before a decision was made on his surgery, the 20-year-old said he had no hard feelings towards his Blues team-mate.
He explained: “There was no bad intention. It was a very normal challenge, it was not deliberate. His arm came down in a normal way and unfortunately I was on my way up.”
HOW CITY ARE EARNING MILLIONS IN THE TRANSFER MARKET
CITY have developed a nice sideline in buying, developing and selling footballers – and it is giving their transfer kitty a big boost.
The Blues are developing talent in their £200m academy, and also bringing in young players from overseas – with creating stars for Pep Guardiola’s first-team the main aim.
But the recent sales of Enes Unal for £12.5m and Aaron Mooy, who is set to join Huddersfield, for £10m – two players who never pulled on a City shirt in anger – have shown there is another side to both the academy and the club’s transfer strategy. Unal was signed from Turkish club Bursaspor for around £2.5m two years ago, and his only appearance for City was in a tour match against Adelaide United in 2015.
He has since been on loan, at Belgian club Genk and then, more successfully, at NAC Breda and FC Twente – where he scored a combined 30 goals in 61 games.
That led to his big-money move to Villarreal, which includes a buy-back option for City if the 20-year-old continues his dramatic upward curve.
Mooy’s dalliance with the Blues is even more distant – he moved on a free transfer from City’s sister club Melbourne City last summer, and is set to seal a move to Huddersfield for an initial £8m, with another £2m in add-ons.
So the Blues stand to make £10m profit on a player who has not represented them at any level.
With the club set to smash their record for summer transfer spend, having already brought in £43m midfielder Bernardo Silva and £35m goalkeeper Ederson, such financial bonuses are vital. And it is an increasingly important part of City’s strategy – they are also hoping to get £25m for Kelechi Iheanacho this summer, a player who is believed to have cost them around £900,000 when he moved from the Taye Academy in Nigeria. Of course, the Blues had hoped Iheanacho would end up in their first team, but Guardiola is not sure the 20-year-old fits the bill, and with strong interest from Leicester, West Ham and Everton he is likely to move on – and deposit another cash bonus in the transfer chest. Jason Denayer is another who the Blues will seek to sell for a sevenfigure sum, with Galatasaray heading the queue to sign him. With the Blues expected to eclipse last summer’s £170m spend in this window, such income is crucial – and it is not new to City. Last summer they raked in £3.8m by selling Seko Fofana – another
Guardiola is not sure Iheanacho fits the bill and he is likely to move on Stuart Brennan
player who only made it as far as City’s under-21 team.
The Blues’ academy has a global reputation these days, and players who do not make the grade for the club are virtually assured of a good career elsewhere.
Kieran Trippier is now an England international and Denis Suarez a Barcelona first-team squad member after being developed by the Blues.
And the fact that players with no substantial first-team experience can leave for such big fees is testimony to the fact that the academy comes with the hallmark of quality.
Rony Lopes was an exciting young prospect and became the youngest player ever to score for the club when he netted in an FA Cup win over Watford, but City decided he would not break into their first-team – and they picked up £9m when he joined Monaco two summers ago.
That was also an astonishing fee for a player who never made a Premier League appearance for City.
Karim Rekik is the youngest foreign player ever to play for the Blues, but he was another who did not quite make the breakthrough – yet they still picked up £3.5m when he went to Marseille.
Emyr Huws was another. The Wales international made just one substitute appearance for City, in the FA Cup, but was sold for £2.5m and has since played Championship football for Wigan, Huddersfield, Cardiff and Ipswich.