Pep Guardiola admits to making a transfer ‘mistake’ as he tells former Man City star he regrets letting him go – and it’s not Cole Palmer!
Pep Guardiola is currently having the worst season of a previously almost flawless management career.
Even the best managers make mistakes from time to time, and Guardiola recently admitted he regretted it.
It was Guardiola’s decision to let a player leave too early, something he still thinks about.
However, Guardiola did not mention City’s decision to sell Cole Palmer to Chelsea for £42.5 million last September.
Palmer has since provided 34 goals and 17 assists in 52 Premier League games for his new team.
But the man Guardiola claims should have stayed longer was Jesus Navas.
Pep Guardiola has admitted to making a transfer mistake as manager of Manchester City
That mistake was not selling Cole Palmer to rivals Chelsea for £42.5 million in September 2023
Guardiola says he regrets Spanish star Jesus Navas leaving City on a free transfer in 2017
Navas left the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2017 at the end of Guardiola’s first season in Manchester.
The Spanish star has been with City since 2013 and has made 183 appearances in all competitions.
Upon leaving City, Navas returned to Sevilla on a free transfer and enjoyed a further seven and a half seasons in southern Spain before choosing to retire.
The 39-year-old’s playing career officially ended on New Year’s Eve when his contract expired.
However, he will remain at Sevilla in a non-playing role following an offer from the club’s president.
Sevilla held a ceremony this week to celebrate Navas’ career, prompting Guardiola to get in touch.
Guardiola told his former player: ‘Thank you for the gift of spending a year together. You don’t know how sorry I am for letting you go.
‘I would have liked you to stay here longer, but sometimes you make mistakes.
Navas made 183 appearances in all competitions for City, winning three major trophies
Guardiola and Navas celebrated a victory over Manchester United in September 2016
Sevilla legend Navas, 39, retired from playing when his contract expired on New Year’s Eve
‘Congratulations to all Sevillistas for having such an extraordinary player and a person who defines Sevillismo.
‘Don’t let him slip away for many more years, Sevillistas. Keep him close and with all of you. Parting.’
Navas won one Premier League title and two EFL Cups during his four years at City.
He won eight trophies during his two spells at Sevilla, including four UEFA Cup/Europa League titles.
The right winger also enjoyed success at international level with Spain, winning the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 and 2024 European Championships, as well as the 2022-2023 edition of the UEFA Nations League.