Man City face 'financial disaster' but one superstar 'could end up staying'
Phil Foden could potentially be one of the only Manchester City stars to stay loyal to the club if they are relegated from the Premier League.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes there is a scenario where he could potentially see the England international staying put.
This comes following the news that City have been found guilty of 114 financial breaches by the Premier League over a nine-year period, with their punishment expected to be a huge points deduction.
Wyness does not expect City to be financially capable of retaining the majority of their squad if they were relegated, but does believe that there could be select cases where players stay.
Foden has come through the academy ranks at the Etihad Stadium, and currently holds the record as the longest-serving player in the senior squad.
The England international has now made over 370 appearances for his boyhood club in all competitions, and Wyness believes there is a chance that he could stay with them.
Man City 'cannot afford' loyalty
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that City would not be able to afford many shows of loyalty in their squad if they dropped out of the Premier League.
The Scottish businessman outlined that the financial hit would be so significant that even if players wanted to stay, the majority would have to be sold.
However, speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained that Foden could be a likely candidate to stay.
"Yeah, I could see Foden staying as a Manchester boy and that sort of thing happening. As I say, the wage pressure and the cost pressure are going to be significant on them as well," he said.
"So there's going to be a case that you've got to get that in order. Otherwise, you start looking at models like Sheffield Wednesday that ended up being a financial disaster.
"City will be well aware of that, and they'll know what they're doing. And while it would be nice to think the players would stay and fight for the cause, they couldn't afford to have them stay and fight for the cause.
"Just recently, Rangers got demoted three divisions in Scotland and actually that helped the whole league together because you had Rangers coming up through those leagues, giving everybody a big payday on those match days.
"It created big interest in those leagues, and in the end it hasn't harmed Rangers that much; it actually helped the broader game overall, so there shouldn't be this shock horror that it's the end of the world.
"It's something that can be recovered from, and you do try and pick the squad accordingly as to where you are placed to try and get promoted again. So there are examples they could follow, but yes, I wouldn't expect a whole galaxy of stars; that's for sure."
Enzo Maresca to 'enforce' Man City exit clause
Wyness previously told Football Insider earlier this week that he expects City manager Enzo Maresca to "enforce" an exit clause in his contract and depart the club.
The former boardroom man does not expect the Italian to turn his back on the Citizens mid-season, but thinks it is inevitable next summer, if the punishment is decided by then.
Maresca only joined City in the summer, and with the 114 charges looming over them, Wyness is adamant that he would have asked for an exit clause to be included.
The former Chelsea boss has led his team to a 100 per cent start to the new Premier League campaign, but matters away from the pitch are dominating attention right now.