Man City arrivals have brought trophy hunger back – Kompany

Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany says a raft of new signings have injected a fresh trophy-winning hunger into Pep Guardiola’s side.

City are estimated to have spent in excess of £200million in bringing Ederson, Danilo, Bernardo Silva, Kyle Walker and Benjamin Mendy to the Etihad Stadium as Guardiola looks to refresh a squad that laboured at times to a third-place Premier League finish last term.

The overhaul has been most prevalent at full-back, with veteran quartet Pablo Zabaleta, Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov all departing the club to be replaced by fresh talent.

With City having ended last term trophyless – the first instance of Guardiola failing to lift a trophy during a season as a coach – Kompany expects that to be rectified in the coming campaign.

“We’ve replaced some key players in the team that did a lot of good over the years,” Kompany told reporters at a City community event at the East LA Boys and Girls’ Club, where several high-profile players took part in skills events and unveiled a new mural.

“But the important thing was replacing them with players of equal ability at least – because they’ve been big players for us down the years.

“It’s good to get some new guys, new faces, who are hungry to win. Everything is there to be achieved for them. But hopefully they will add that spark that we need to be the champions again.

“It’s a dream to play in the @PremierLeague “. WATCH   https://t.co/f92qwihOtu #BlueMendy pic.twitter.com/kdmH5ESYio

— Manchester City (@ManCity) July 24, 2017

“Bacary, Zaba, Clichy, Kolarov – they were all leaders and had a huge impact at this club.

“Look at Zaba what made him so popular, the way he was. Look at that when you come into a club like this. If you can bring some of that to your game, the way you approach the game then you’ll always be a success at City.”

Kompany could play a key role in holding the new-look back line together, having struggled with ravaging injury problems in Guardiola’s first season and the Belgium defender has taken a proactive role in his new colleagues’ settling-in process.

 

Let nothing hold you back. #LA #USA #ManCity

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He added: “Speaking for myself, I’m someone who communicates a lot. I don’t really wait for it to happen, I get out there and pass on the message I think is the most appropriate when I’m on the pitch. 

“I’d do that to anyone I’m playing with so hopefully that will help them find their feet a bit quicker. 

“They are good professionals so you’d expect them to blend in well.

“I’d say all the senior players have the responsibility to create an environment where these guys can thrive. 

“We need these new guys to do well and help us achieve our goals. 

“I think being at the club you always have an advantage knowing how things run and go. If you can pass on that message to your colleagues it always helps. But all the senior players share that responsibility.”