Following the inability of English football giant, Manchester City, management to resolve the face-off between Portuguese defender, Joao Cancelo, and the club’s manager, Pep Guardiola, the player has left for German champions, Bayern Munich.
Cancelo left his employers, who were in the pursuit to unseat Arsenal on the Premier League log, after completing a deadline-day loan deal that was approved by Manchester City to prevent further face-offs between him and Guardiola.
The 28-year-old full-back on Tuesday officially joined Bayern until the end of the season with the option to join permanently in the summer for £61.5 million.
Announcing his move, the defender described his new club as a great club that could assist him to win more trophies including the UEFA champions league.
He said: “Bayern is a great club, one of the best in the world. I know this team lives for titles. It’s an enormous motivation for me to now play alongside these extraordinary players in a team. I’m also driven by the hunger for success. I’ll give my best for Bayern.”
On his arrival, FC Bayern board member for sport, Hasan Salihamidzic, said: “Joao is a player we’ve been thinking about for a while now because we very much appreciate his qualities.
“He’s the optimal fit in our system with his attacking style of play and dynamism, and his mentality and experience fit very well in our team. I’m convinced Joao will help us in the coming weeks and months when we want to win titles.”
The defender would be among the new players who would be confronted with the task of rescuing the club from its present predicament.
The Portugal international joined City from Juventus in 2019 and has made 98 Premier League appearances for the Manchester club since his arrival.
Under City’s current boss, he has won two league titles and the EFL Cup and had previously been viewed as one of City’s key players because of his ability to drift inside and act as a playmaker when City had the ball.
His performances saw him named in the PFA Premier League team of the year for the last two seasons. However, he joins the German champions having only started three games since the World Cup, his reduced playing time coinciding with the emergence of teenager, Rico Lewis, and Nathan Ake’s improved form. Cancelo’s last two appearances were in the defeats by Southampton and Manchester United.
It would be recalled that Cancelo signed a new five-year deal with the reigning Premier League champions in February 2022, extending his contract at Etihad Stadium until 2027.
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