In the glitzy, high-stakes world of Manchester City, where silverware gleams and expectations soar, a shadow has fallen over some of the brightest stars to grace the Etihad Stadium. Jack Grealish, once the poster boy of English football with a £100 million price tag, now finds himself among an unenviable group—six players whose careers have taken a dramatic nosedive under the meticulous watch of Pep Guardiola. As the Catalan maestro reshapes his squad with surgical precision, these fallen talents serve as a stark reminder that even the most gifted can falter in the relentless pursuit of perfection.
Grealish’s journey from Aston Villa’s dazzling talisman to a peripheral figure at City is a tale of unfulfilled promise. Signed in 2021 for a British record fee, he arrived with a swagger, his flair and maverick style igniting hopes of a new era. Yet, four years on, the 29-year-old’s star has dimmed. This season, he’s started just six Premier League games, often relegated to the bench as younger, hungrier talents like Savinho and Jeremy Doku steal the spotlight. Guardiola, never one to shy away from tough love, has challenged him repeatedly. “I want the Jack that won the Treble,” he said after a recent match, a pointed reminder of the heights Grealish reached in 2023 when City swept the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League. That version of Grealish—dynamic, fearless—seems a distant memory now, replaced by a player struggling to find rhythm amid injuries and fierce competition.
He’s not alone in this descent. Kyle Walker, the veteran right-back whose pace once terrorized wingers, has seen his role diminish. At 34, his legs aren’t what they once were, and a midseason loan to AC Milan in January 2025 signaled the beginning of the end. Kevin De Bruyne, the midfield genius who orchestrated City’s dominance, is another whose future hangs in the balance. At 33, with his contract nearing its 2026 expiry, whispers of a move to the MLS with San Diego FC grow louder. His brilliance remains, but injuries and age have dulled his once-unstoppable edge.
Then there’s Bernardo Silva, the diminutive Portuguese playmaker whose versatility was a cornerstone of City’s success. Now 30, he’s been linked with moves to Spain and Portugal, his minutes sporadic as Guardiola prioritizes fresher faces. Ilkay Gundogan, who returned to City in 2024 after a stint at Barcelona, has also faltered. The 34-year-old, once a clutch performer in the 2023 Champions League final, now struggles to recapture that magic, his body betraying him in a squad that demands relentless energy.
Ederson, the Brazilian goalkeeper whose distribution revolutionized the position, rounds out this list. At 31, he’s no longer untouchable, with Stefan Ortega nipping at his heels and transfer rumors swirling. And let’s not forget Kalvin Phillips, the £45 million signing from Leeds in 2022 who never found his footing under Guardiola. Now on loan at Ipswich Town, the 29-year-old is desperate for a permanent exit, his City dream in tatters.
What ties these stories together is Guardiola’s unrelenting vision. “Players have to understand that no new contract makes a player better,” he remarked earlier this year, emphasizing the cutthroat competition within his locker room. For Grealish, Walker, De Bruyne, Silva, Gundogan, Ederson, and Phillips, that philosophy has proven a double-edged sword. They’ve tasted glory—multiple Premier League titles, a Champions League crown—but also the sting of being sidelined when they couldn’t meet the sky-high bar.
City’s recent struggles—a trophyless 2024-25 season so far, a Champions League exit to Real Madrid, and a slide out of the Premier League title race—have only intensified the scrutiny. Guardiola, eyeing a summer overhaul, has already brought in young blood like Omar Marmoush and Nico Gonzalez, signaling a shift to a new generation. For Grealish and his fellow outcasts, the clock is ticking. “I know he can do it because I saw him,” Guardiola said of Grealish, his tone a mix of frustration and fading hope. Whether these players can claw their way back or find redemption elsewhere, their tales underscore a brutal truth: under Pep, brilliance alone isn’t enough—you’ve got to keep proving it, every single day.
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