Kyle Walker has revealed he was “close” to joining Bayern Munich in the summer but is now set to sign a new contract at Manchester City.
The City right-back was the subject of strong interest from the German giants during the close season and, coupled with uncertainty over his future at the Etihad Stadium, he admits he was seriously tempted.
The 33-year-old had a spell out of favour last spring and, although he regained his place towards the end of the treble-winning campaign, was left out of the starting line-up for the Champions League final in June.
As he entered the final year of his contract, Bayern turned his head with an attractive package but, with City later offering what is understood to be a two-year extension, Walker opted to stay put.
“It was close but in football things can happen,” Walker said. “Decisions can be made, things can turn. It wasn’t meant to be.
“Would I have enjoyed the experience? Of course I would, but this is a great club and you can’t underestimate what this club has done in the last six or seven years.
“Why should I walk away if I am going to get enough game time that’s right for me? That is all I want.
“It was about who gave me the most years. It wasn’t like I was going to a worse club because Bayern Munich is a massive club and seeing what Harry (Kane) is doing there and will do, it wasn’t a step down.
“In the back of my head I always wanted to play for Manchester City but I had to do what was right for me and my future. It was just about which club gave me the years in my contract to play football at the highest level.”
The speculation linking Walker with Bayern was at its most intense in July, just as City played the Bundesliga club during a pre-season friendly in July.
To some surprise at the time, Walker not only started for City but took the captain’s armband.
He said: “I am a Manchester city player. I am contracted to them so what do you want me to do? Turn round and say ‘I am not playing because I want to force a move to Bayern Munich’?
“That is not me as a person. I have a contract with the club and I will play for the club until the contract (ends) or they sell me – and I wasn’t sold.”
Walker, who joined City from Tottenham in 2017, says confirmation of the new deal which would commit him to the reigning Premier League champions was imminent.
“The extension is coming,” said Walker, who has five title-winner’s medals. “It’s my seventh season here and I feel like one of the old ones.
“I love the place. I’ve experienced things I only dreamt of here – especially the last season – so why would you want to leave a club like this?”
Walker is also keen to take on the City captaincy full-time with manager Pep Guardiola planning to hold a squad vote to identify Ilkay Gundogan’s replacement in the coming weeks.
He said: “The vote hasn’t been yet. They like to do it after the transfer window is closed.
“It is an honour of privilege, of course I want it. If you can’t pass on your knowledge and life experiences on or off the field, I shouldn’t be playing at a great club like this.”
'I don't celebrate goals any more' - Postecoglou bemoans VAR after Arsenal defeat
Ange Postecoglou admitted "I don't celebrate goals any more" after VAR denied Tottenham during their north London derby defeat by Arsenal.
Spurs were beaten 3-2 by their rivals, who kept their Premier League title challenge on track, despite a late rally having trailed 3-0 at half-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Trailing 1-0 to Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own-goal, the hosts thought they had equalised when Micky van de Ven slotted past David Raya, However, the decision to award the goal was overturned following a VAR review with the defender adjudged to be offside.
Arsenal took advantage of their let-off with Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz increasing their lead, while second-half strikes from Cristiano Romero and Heung-Min Son proved academic for Tottenham.
"Games aren’t refereed in the stadium any more," Postecoglou told reporters during his post-match press conference. "I don’t celebrate goals any more.
"You've got to wait for somebody down the road. It’s a shame, I don’t like it, but I’ve got to accept it."
The Spurs boss was pleased with his side's response after the break, and hopes his players will benefit from the disappointment of losing the derby.
"It's a big day for our club and our fans, and we didn't get the outcome we wanted, so it's obviously very disappointing," he added on SpursTalk.
"You can go out in the second half and accept your fate that it's not your day, but we had to show some resilience and fight - just for our supporters more than anything else. To be fair to the lads, they did that.
"We just lacked some focus today in key moments, particularly in the first half. Sometimes, you've got to feel the pain of it to learn that lesson properly."
Arteta was 'praying' Arsenal held on for derby victory
Mikel Arteta was "praying" Arsenal clung on as the Gunners held off a late Tottenham fightback to claim a 3-2 north London derby victory on Sunday.
Arsenal looked to be cruising at 3-0 up after a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg own-goal put the Gunners ahead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, before Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz extended the visitors' lead.
However, a David Raya mistake allowed Cristian Romero to cut the deficit before a Son Heung-min penalty threw Arsenal's lead into further peril after Declan Rice brought down Ben Davies.
The Gunners held on, though, despite some late pressure, a period in which Arteta conceded he was fearing the worst.
"I was praying," Arteta told reporters. "It was a really emotional game.
"3-0 up you're in control, and then an individual error happens that clicks something. We started to deal with the situation better, but they have the players to put a lot of courage forward."
Along with the derby day spoils, the win extends Arsenal's lead at the Premier League summit to four points, temporarily at least with closest rivals Manchester City taking on Nottingham Forest later on Sunday in the first of their two games in hand over the Gunners.
The destination of the title remains in the hands of Pep Guardiola's City, who overtook Arsenal last term to claim a fifth Premier League title in six seasons last term after the Gunners led for much of the way.
Arteta believes Arsenal are better-equipped this time to go on and win the title, however.
When asked if Arsenal have the ability to go all the way, Arteta replied: "100%.
"I’ve seen that the whole season. They give me reason to believe that every single day. The motivation for what is ahead is beautiful."
'We fought until the end' - Saka 'delighted' as Arsenal withstand late Spurs surge
Bukayo Saka saluted Arsenal's fighting spirit as they withstood a late Tottenham revival to claim all three points in the north London derby.
Mikel Arteta's side prevailed 3-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to extend their lead at the Premier League summit to four points over second-place Manchester City with three matches remaining, though the Citizens still have two games in hand.
The Gunners surged into a 3-0 lead before half-time with Saka and Kai Havertz on target after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg's own-goal broke the deadlock.
The winger's 15th goal of the season - his highest tally during a single term - saw him become the first English player to score home and away for Arsenal against Tottenham in the same Premier League campaign since Ian Wright in 1993-94.
However, the visitors given a late scare with Cristian Romero pouncing on David Raya's error to pull a goal back, before Heung-Min Son's 87th-minute penalty set up a grandstand finish.
Nevertheless, they held on for three points and, though the destiny of the title is out of their hands, their challenge remains very much alive.
"The last 20 minutes weren't nice, but it was worth it," Saka told Sky Sports.
"We know it's a big derby, and they don't want to lose 3-0 at home. Once they got one goal, the crowd were up and the momentum shifted their way. But I'm proud of the boys. We fought until the end, and got the three points.
"We showed our level heads at the end, and I'm proud to get the win. We know what it means to the fans and to us, so we're delighted.
"This is a massive win for us. We've got three [matches] to go, we're going to give it everything. City are an amazing team, but they're not perfect - nobody's perfect, they can drop points. We just need to do our job and see where it leads us."
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