Will Manchester City replace Kyle Walker as club captain? A decision could happen very soon, says Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola’s first-team players could make a decision very soon as to whether they will reshuffle their Manchester City leadership group for the 2024/25 season.

Kyle Walker has been Manchester City’s captain since the start of last season, having been voted in by his fellow teammates following Ilkay Gundogan’s exit for FC Barcelona on a free transfer upon the conclusion of the 2022/23 season.

With some concerns amongst supporters over Walker’s credentials for the role of club captain, amid ongoing issues in his personal life and decreasing standards in performance, some have wondered whether there could be a change of leader in the first-team squad this season.

Ilkay Gundogan’s return to the club from Barcelona at the end of the summer transfer window heightened those discussions, with the German midfielder widely viewed as being an ideal candidate to reintegrate into the leadership group at a very minimum.

Now speaking during a recent pre-match press conference, manager Pep Guardiola admitted that his Manchester City squad are yet to vote on a new leadership group within the first-team pack, in an annual trend undertaken by the senior group at the Etihad Stadium.

“No, not yet. We are on our way,” Guardiola said on Friday afternoon. “They decide if they want to vote or not vote, we will see in the next days and we’ll know it.”

But will Pep Guardiola have a say himself during any first-team vote?

“No, no, no, no,” the 54-year-old insisted. “Don’t make me this compromise.”

One of the most notable changes made by Manchester City’s leadership group last season, as reported by the media, was the introduction of car park spots at the club’s training ground based on status and longevity.

Last season, the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Matheu Nunes and Jeremy Doku – all of whom were summer recruits in 2023 – were parked further away from the City Football Academy’s entrance than those who had been at the club longer.

The five-man leadership group for the 2023/24 season consisted of Kyle Walker as lead club captain, with Kevin De Bruyne nominated as the official vice-captain, alongside leadership roles for Rodri, Ruben Dias, and Bernardo Silva.