Pep Guardiola Opens Door for Jack Grealish Exit After Omission

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says Jack Grealish could leave the club due to a lack of playing time. Grealish was left out of the squad for City’s final game of the Premier League season.

xWHAT HAPPENED?

Guardiola cleared up any rumors of a personal issue with Grealish. He simply stated that the forward needs regular playing time. The manager said after City‘s 2-0 win at Fulham: “Jack is an unbelievable player who needs to play football every three days. That hasn’t happened this season or even last season. He needs to do it here, with us, or somewhere else…” Grealish, who joined from Aston Villa for £100 million in 2022, played just 1,500 minutes this season. He started only one league game in 2025, with eight goalscoring contributions overall.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Grealish has had one of his worst seasons at the club, and City’s performance has dipped too. The club won a famous trophy treble in 2022-23, but this season they finished third in the league, lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace and failed to win any trophies. There is increased speculation about Grealish’s future at the club, as his influence has waned due to injuries and competition for places in the squad. Guardiola is keen to have a smaller squad and has made it clear that he will reconsider his position if the squad remains too large.

WHAT NEXT FOR GREALISH AND MAN CITY?

All eyes will be on Grealish’s future at the club, and he is expected to hold talks with City soon. A loan move looks more likely than a permanent transfer. City have already booked their place in next season’s Champions League and will now focus on rebuilding their squad for the summer. Their next game will be the Community Shield, but of greater interest will be the changes to the squad before the new season. Grealish will have to make a decision: stay at City and compete for a spot, or leave in search of more playing time during the important stage of his career.