Any time a club is relegated from the Premier League, players head for the exit. Sometimes clubs release players because they can’t afford to keep them. Sometimes, players desperately seek an exit, feeling they are too good to be playing in the Championship.
There’s plenty of both at City this summer. Eight senior players were released at the ends of their contracts in June – albeit one was offered a new deal only to reject it – while four have been sold to make some money for the club and to fund their incoming transfer business.
Those players are now having to settle into new surroundings, and it’s not always easy. The success of their careers at their new clubs will not be determined by how well it goes in the first month, but it can also provide clues as to how the season may pan out for them, and how important they will be at their new homes.
Here, we’ve taken a look at how the first month or so has been for those who left City this summer as they headed back to the Premier League or to one of Europe’s top divisions. Interestingly, five of them have Champions League football to look forward to this month and throughout the autumn, with a further three gearing up for games in the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
Let us know in the comments section below which of the players you think will go on to have the most successful season at their new club.