Don Hutchison, a pundit, has explained why he thinks Riyad Mahrez should leave Manchester City right now.
It was announced earlier this week that the winger would be sold by the Citizens to the Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli for £30 million.
One pundit has since expressed his opinions about the player and his proposed transfer to the Saudi Pro League as a result of this.
Hutchison evaluates Mahrez’s transfer departure.
Regarding Mahrez and his allegedly impending departure from City, Hutchison had the following to say in a recent video posted on the ESPN FC YouTube channel.
I think he’s a fantastic player, velcro feet, the ball sticks when it goes to him, the man said.
“He’s got tricks, he’s got goals in him, he’s a match winner, but I think as a player you want to play and it’s okay winning championships and the treble but when it doesn’t feel like you’re a big part of it it can sort of feel a little bit empty so Riyad Mahrez is thinking ‘why don’t I cash in, why don’t I try and earn a lot of money?'” He’s going to do that, of course.
“I think city fans will miss him a little bit because I think he’s a little bit of a cult hero there so he’ll be a miss in terms of his talent but if you’re not playing, it might be worth the manager and the player looking at it and think it’s time to move,” said the fan.
The 32-year-old has made 236 appearances for Pep Guardiola’s team across all competitions since moving to Manchester City from Leicester City in the 2018 summer transfer window for a fee of £60 million.
In those appearances, the Algerian has racked up 78 goals, 59 assists, and numerous championships.
Hutchison speculates that Mahrez may not feel like a key component of City’s success last season because the attacker didn’t play in the FA Cup or Champions League finals despite scoring 15 goals and dishing out 13 assists in 47 games last season.
Given his age and the contributions he has made to the team since joining, we believe that paying half of what they paid for him is a fair deal for City, especially given the likelihood that he won’t be a regular starter for them going forward.
