admin Kyle Walker has agreed a new Manchester City deal taking him to 2026 after considering a summer exit to Bayern Munich.
Kyle Walker almost left Manchester City in the summer but is now hoping to captain the club after signing a new three-year deal.
England defender Walker won the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League for the fifth time last year, building on his track record since joining from Tottenham in 2017.
However, he was left out of the Team of the Season squad on several occasions – most notably in the Champions League final, where he had already delivered an impassioned speech to his team-mates because Pep Guardiola preferred other options.
The best dental implants on offer (see options) dental implants Ads in search engines FC Bayern Munich offered Walker a new challenge this summer and speaking for the first time, the 33-year-old admitted he was close to making the transition stood for Bundesliga champions.
When the two sides met for a friendly in Tokyo in July, the Germans were convinced Walker would switch sides.
However, City reacted strongly and Guardiola did not want to give up the quality and experience of a defender after the departure of Ilkay Gündogan. This means that instead of following Monaco, Walker has signed a new contract with Manchester until 2026, when he will be 36.
“The extension is coming. It’s my seventh season here and I feel like one of the old ones – there’s me, Kevin [De Bruyne], John [Stones], Bernardo [Silva] and [Ederson] from the first couple of seasons when Pep came in,” he said.
“I love the place, I’ve experienced things I only dreamt of here – especially the last season – so why would you want to leave a club like this. It was about who gave me the most years, it wasn’t like I was going to a worse club because Bayern Munich is a massive club and seeing what Harry [Kane] is doing there and will do, it wasn’t a step down it was just what gave me the years in my contract to play football at the highest level.
“In the back of my head I always wanted to play for Man City but I had to do what was right for me and my future and that was just whichever club gave me the most years. I still think I’ve got a lot of life in the legs and I want to continue playing football.
“It was close but in football things can happen. Decisions can be made. Things can turn.
“It wasn’t meant to be. Would I have enjoyed the experience? Of course I would have done. But this club is a great club and you can’t underestimate what this club has done in the last six or seven years.
“I wanted to stay and live out the contract but I also wanted to play football so if I don’t feel that I am getting enough game time whether that is on x amount of pounds or no pounds I just want to play football.
“I don’t care about the money. You might say that’s a cliché but I don’t care. If I haven’t saved enough at my age, at 33, I shouldn’t be worrying about money. I am just worried about my happiness and playing football.”
Walker was one of five captains chosen by the side last season but it always seemed like a statement from the club that he would be in charge of the side at all times during pre-season. Kevin De Bruyne wore the armband in the Premier League opener against Burnley but Walker has been back in charge of the team since suffering an injury in that game.
The vote on this season’s captain and group of captains is still pending and Guardiola wants the squad to be finalized after the transfer window before everyone has made their decision. Walker is happy to fill in for the injured De Bruyne, but is also happy to take responsibility.
“Hopefully the lads feels I’m a certain type of leader. I’m probably not as straight down the line as Vinny [Kompany] but I feel you have to manage the group of lads you’ve got in front of you in the way that you feel is best.
“I try and make the lads feel as much part of the team and as welcome as quickly as possible and that is down to the manager from the side of the pitch where he makes them understand the way we are playing and the philosophy. That’s down to him. My job is to make sure that the team stick together through good and bad moments and as a group we stick together
“I am relishing the opportunity. I am very grateful and hopefully I am stand in captain until Kevin comes back or I get the official that is up to the lads and staff.”
