Sergio Gomez replacement will speak volumes for Man City transfer plans amid gamble

Sergio Gomez leaves Manchester City with good wishes after two years at the club.

The low-point was undoubtedly the Carabao Cup defeat away at Southampton where the half-time substitution replacing him was cheered by the away end, although he was hardly the only player below par on that evening. Gomez never really looked the part at the club, but then again he wasn't supposed to be - instead, an emergency left-back parachuted into the first team squad in 2022 when Manchester City pulled out of the race for Marc Cucurella.

Gomez tried to force his way into the first team, and while it never really happened there was never any bitterness that most of his 38 appearances came off the bench when games were won. The 23-year-old was the very definition of squad player at the Etihad.

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There's an argument that Gomez won't really be missed because his minutes can quickly be eaten up by another player. City allowed Joao Cancelo and Kalvin Phillips to go on loan last season and didn't need to sign cover for them, especially given Pep Guardiola prefers to work with small squads.

However, the rise of matches will test that theory and how City choose to replace Gomez will be indicative of how the club thinks they can approach a season in which they could play four extra Champions League games and seven if they go all the way in the Club World Cup.

Anywhere between five and 11 extra matches will test the limits of the squad and will need to be addressed, but there are several options: the current defenders could be given more minutes, youngsters from the