It's not just Manchester City players who have been looking elsewhere for new opportunities this summer.
Ilkay Gundogan has left for Barcelona and the longer contract that comes with it, plus the offer of a fresh challenge at a key time in his career. Aymeric Laporte, Bernardo Silva and Kyle Walker are all linked with City exits in search of more playing time, while fringe players like Sergio Gomez and Kalvin Phillips have vowed to stay at the Etihad and earn their place under Pep Guardiola.
With Mateo Kovacic already replacing Gundogan, and City tabling a bid for Declan Rice before withdrawing from the race, it could be a summer of various incomings and outgoings on the pitch. Fans want a new midfielder, although any new arrivals will likely depend on who else leaves before the end of the transfer window.
There will also be some turnover off the pitch, with assistant manager Rodolfo Borrell the latest City coach to leave with the club's blessing, ending a nine-year stay at the City Football Academy.
Trusted number two Borrell becomes Sporting Director at Austin FC in the MLS, and follows the departure of fellow assistant Enzo Maresca, who became Leicester manager in June, having returned to City last summer where he was previously the club's under-23 head coach.
Both of Guardiola's assistants have now left, leaving City in a position where they have to replace key coaching staff as well as playing staff. It's not something City haven't done before, with Mikel Arteta an obvious example of an assistant who has succeeded after proving to be a top coach under Guardiola. Domenec Torrent was assistant before Arteta, and he has since managed New York City, Flamengo and Galatasaray.
Arteta was replaced by Juanma Lillo, who could be an option to re-take his old job as Guardiola's number two. Lillo returned ahead of the Champions League semi-final second leg with Real Madrid to cast an eye over training, and he was also present ahead of the final win over Inter Milan in Istanbul. Currently manager of Al Sadd in Qatar, however, he would have to cut ties with them before returning to the Etihad, and there would still be a vacancy after Maresca's departure.
Guardiola has relied heavily on his coaches over the years, and trusts them to take training sessions and contribute to tactical plans. Former under-18 coach Carlos Vicens, for example, has improved City's set piece output in both boxes since joining the senior coaching staff, and other coaches have other areas of expertise. Lillo has been credited with keeping Guardiola calm and keeping players' spirits high during poor runs.
Guardiola said in 2020: “The only position that the manager has to choose is his assistant coach.
“Maybe there are discussions about the players that the club needs to buy and the club takes a decision in front of you and you have to accept it. But the guy you work with? He has to be so close. You have to decide. It cannot be imposed from anyone else.”
And Guardiola has also discussed the importance of his relationship with his assistants at City and previous clubs, saying: "[Lillo] helped me to be more calm. Sometimes I express my feelings too much and he makes me calmer to better read situations.
"He [Lillo] helps me a lot, and Rodo [Borrell] as well. We make a good backroom staff, Rodo has been here since day one and he helps me a lot in organising sessions and even in the game seeing what happened because I need help for the things I am not able to see or help.
"That's why they are here and like with Mikel, Dome [Torrent] and Tito Vilanova before I need their advice and support because they see things that I am not able to. It helps me to control my emotions and understand."
The importance of a trusted new assistant could be pivotal in shaping City's treble defence.
So, too, could the appointment of a new Head of Academy, following Jason Wilcox's move to Southampton to become their Director of Football. That job was secured before the Saints' relegation, changing the dynamic of the task in hand considerably, but City gave Wilcox a fitting send-off in recognition of the work done during his time leading the academy.
With Phil Foden, Cole Palmer and Rico Lewis becoming first team players, plus many others getting senior debuts, City's academy is one of the most productive in English football. The under-21s and under-28s have both won their respective divisions for three years in a row, while they have also won the FA Youth Cup in recent seasons. Importantly, the academy is bringing in tens of millions in transfer fees and sell-on clauses each year.
Getting Wilcox's successor right will determine how City continue building on their academy successes. The ultimate aim is to provide players for the first team, and coaches last season were aware that fewer players made their debuts than in previous seasons. Still, Lewis played a crucial role in the season, and Shea Charles got a debut on the final day of the campaign. The academy are clearly on the right track, with a desire to always better the achievements of the year before.
With plenty of focus on who can arrive in the first team, maybe the more important new arrivals will be off the pitch. Guardiola - and City - know that bringing in the right people to let their talented players shine will be just as vital as building the senior squad for next season.
