Joao Cancelo leaves Manchester for Germany
Joao Cancelo is a Portuguese defender and joined Manchester City for £60 million in 2019. Cancelo made 17 appearances in the 2019/2020 Premier League season. Even though Cancelo would start as a defender he became an extra midfielder when Man City are in possession. As good as Cancelo is going forward he is questionable when it comes to defending.
Cancelo scored two goals in 2020/2021 Premier League season. He received a Man Of The Match award for his assist in Man City’s win against Borussia Monchengladbach in 2021. His runs as a midfielder gave defenders nightmares especially in Man City winning the 2020/2021 Premier League title. He won his first Premier League title and second EFL Cup with Man City in 2021.
Cancelo scored one goalin the Premier League and two in UEFA Champions League throughout 2021/2022 season. His role in the team was more significant throughout 2021/2022 season as he achieved 10 assists in both Premier League and Champions League. Cancelo achieved a hat-trick of assists in a Champions League group stage game in November 2021. He won his second Premier League title and it looked like the Portuguese was committing his future in Manchester as he signed a new five-year contract worth £24,960,000 in 2022.
The 2022/2023 Premier League has been a struggle for Cancelo as he made a mistake against Liverpool at Anfield and got sent off in a home game against Fulham. His impact in the team has not been as effective in 2022/2023 as he only had one assist in the Premier League. He has only played three games since the World Cup in Qatar and lost his place to Nathan Ake in the starting line-up. His last Premier League game was against Manchester United and he was very ineffective in this match.
Bayern Munich surprisingly came interested in signing Cancelo on loan until the end of the season. Man City manager Pep Guardiola said that the club wouldn’t get in his way if he wanted to leave. Bayern Munich completed the loan move before the transfer window closed on 31st January 2023. Munich have the option to sign Cancelo for €70 million in the summer.
My opinion is that I’m surprised that Man City let him go halfway through the season. He hasn’t played much but he is still a fantastic player to have in your squad. It makes sense if he left to play football as Pep hasn’t been playing him lately at Man City. You don’t usually see Man City selling a player to one of their Champions League rivals. It will be interesting to se if Man City draw Bayern Munich in the later stages of the Champions League.