Manchester City fans explode at ‘wrong’ contract announcement
Man City fans are not happy with their board after news was confirmed with an announcement about Rico Lewis’ future at the club.
Rico Lewis has emerged as a regular in Pep Guardiola’s squads over the last few years since he made his Man City debut in 2022.
He helped his boyhood club win the treble in his first campaign as a first-team player, with 23 appearances in all competitions, and that figure has only increased in recent years, with 27 outings in 2023-24 and 44 games played last season.
Lewis was targeted by Nottingham Forest during the summer transfer window, with the East Midlands outfit reportedly willing to double his City wages to complete a move, but he remained at the Etihad Stadium past the deadline on 1 September.
The 20-year-old has not seen any competition arrive for his right-back position over the last few months, despite Man City’s interest in Tino Livramento, and now a new reveal on his future at the club has shocked and annoyed supporters.
Man City fans not happy as Rico Lewis signs a new five-year contract extension
The Daily Mail reported last month that Lewis was set to sign a new five-year contract at Man City after negotiations over an extension accelerated quickly following his good performance against Wolves on the opening weekend of the new campaign.
Man City confirmed Lewis’ new deal with a post to their official X page on Friday (12 September) that said: “We’re delighted to announce that Rico Lewis has extended his contract at City until 2030.”
Many supporters were displeased at the news, due to his lack of standout performances for the club over the years despite his quick progression to becoming a regular, with one saying: “Wrong move,” while another replied: “Nothing against Rico Lewis, but he is not good enough for the team and this is definitely not one of our better decisions…“
Another supporter voiced their opposition to the move, saying: “Not good enough, should have accepted Forest’s offer,” while their statement was echoed by a fellow fan who said: “Not good enough for city. Should have let him go to Nottingham Forest.”
Lewis’ quality was questioned by supporters as one fan replied: “This guy is pure mid and not city standard at all,” while another added: “Please, no! This guy shouldn’t be a defender, too little.”
Lewis’ new deal has clearly riled the majority of City fans up, with many believing they need more depth and quality at right-back, and they could have had just that if Livramento had joined in the summer.
Man City should have signed Tino Livramento to be their first-choice right-back
Football finance expert Stefan Borson revealed to Football Insider last month that Man City had been prepared to let Lewis go to Forest, but his aforementioned performance against Wolves was seemingly enough to convince their chiefs that he should stay.
Handing him a five-year deal does seem extreme, even if he arguably does not deserve such a pile-on from supporters as one of their own at just 20-years-old, but City have given him the contract they think he deserves and there is no going back now.
What City should have done prior to handing Lewis an extension is signed Livramento, as he would have solved their right-back issues for the next five years at least.
It now seems much more likely that he remains at St James’ Park for the foreseeable future with Football Insider revealing on Friday (12 September) that Newcastle are doing all they can to extend Livramento’s contract, and it would be a huge blow to any hopes City had of landing him if he does sign.