Pundit urges ‘fantastic’ Man City star to ditch Guardiola amid links with big-money Saudi transfer
Former Everton midfielder Don Hutchison has urged Manchester City winger Riyad Mahrez to ditch the Etihad for Saudi Arabia this summer.
The Algeria international has been one of The Cityzen’s top performers in recent years but has fallen down the pecking order since the arrival of Jack Grealish.
Despite this, he still managed to make 15 goal contributions in 30 appearances across all competitions last term.
Now, Mahrez is attracting interest from Saudi club Al Ahli, who are reportedly willing to spend €35m on him this summer.
Hutchison thinks this is the right decision. He believes that the 32-year-old should be playing regular football and wouldn’t blame him for accepting a big-money switch to Saudi.
“I think [Mahrez] is a fantastic player, velcro feet – when the ball goes to him, it sticks,” Hutchison said on the ESPN TV YouTube Channel.
“He’s got tricks, he’s got goals in him, he’s a match winner, but I think as a player you want to play. It’s alright winning championships and winning the treble but when it doesn’t feel like you’re a big part of it it can sort of feel a little bit empty.
“So, Riyad Mahrez is thinking ‘why don’t I cash in, why don’t I try and earn a lot of money?’ He’s going to obviously do that.
“City fans, I think will miss him a little bit because I think he’s a little bit of a cult hero there so he’ll be a miss in terms of his talent but if you’re not playing, then it might be worth the manager and the player looking at it and think it’s time to move.”
Since joining the Man City from Leicester City in 2018 for a fee of £60m, Mahrez has made 236 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side in all competitions.
In the process, he has scored 78 goals and made 59 assists. The 32-year-old has played a key role in the Cityzen’s recent success, winning 11 major trophies including four Premier League titles and one Champions League victory.
With a move to Saudi now looking likely, Guardiola will have to bring in a replacement for Mahrez.
As reported by Football365, one potential option is Barcelona winger Raphinha.
Raphinha is being linked with a move back to the Premier League, with Arsenal and Newcastle United being mentioned as potential destinations for the €80m-rated attacker.
It now seems, however, Man City could barge into the race for his signature. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if they make a concrete bid for the Brazilian once Mahrez is sold.
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