What Could Have Been: Manchester City Edition

Manchester City’s academy has become a conveyor belt of talent in recent years, producing some of the finest young footballers in England. But for every Phil Foden or Rico Lewis who breaks into Pep Guardiola’s first team, there’s a host of equally talented players who slip through the cracks — sold on, loaned out, or moved elsewhere in search of opportunity. Some faded quietly into the footballing wilderness. Others have gone on to thrive, make headlines, and even come back to haunt their former club.

This is a look at the "what if" XI — an entire lineup of former City academy stars who left the Etihad too soon, only to make their mark elsewhere.

Liam Delap - Chelsea

Delap joined Ipswich Town in July 2024 for roughly £20 million (potentially rising to £25 million), with Man City holding a buy-back clause and a 20% sell-on clause. He scored 12 Premier League goals in Ipswich’s 2024/25 campaign before Chelsea activated his £30 million release clause in June 2025, reuniting him with former City academy manager Enzo Maresca and former City teammate Cole Palmer. At 22, Delap is viewed as a potential England No. 9, blending physicality with technical promise on a long-term Chelsea contract.

🚨 Chelsea earned £85M for winning the Club World Cup, which is exactly the same amount they spent on signing Liam Delap and João Pedro. 💰 pic.twitter.com/vBrmTcKwww

— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) July 17, 2025

Cole Palmer - Chelsea

Palmer moved to Chelsea in September 2023 for around £40 million and immediately exploded onto the scene. In his first Premier League season he tallied 22 goals and 11 assists in 34 league games, earning Premier League Young Player of the Season, the Castrol Game Changer of the Season, and Chelsea Players’ Player of the Year. In 2024/25, he added 15 goals and eight assists in 37 appearances, capped by a standout display in Chelsea’s Club World Cup final win over PSG, where he scored twice and assisted another, solidifying his Ballon d’Or odds at 33/1. PSG have reportedly considered a €250 million offer, though Chelsea are understandably not interested in selling under any circumstances.

6 - Cole Palmer has been directly involved in six goals in his last three finals for club and country:

1 goal v Spain (EURO)
2 assists v Betis (UECL)
2 goals, 1 assist v PSG (CWC)

Cold. pic.twitter.com/HaXO72gHOZ

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) July 13, 2025

Jadon Sancho - Manchester United

Sancho departed Manchester City for Borussia Dortmund in 2017, where he became one of Europe's most exciting wide players. A later high-profile move to Manchester United in 2021 amounted to around £71 million, but inconsistent form followed. A loan to Chelsea in 2024/25 brought just three goals in 31 Premier League games. Chelsea declined to sign him permanently, paying a £5m loan penalty, and Sancho returned to United for the upcoming 2025/26 season — where he faces more uncertainty under new management.

Romeo Lavia - Chelsea

Another former player from the blue side of Manchester is Romeo Lavia. He arrived through City’s youth ranks after a big-money signing from Anderlecht, made just two senior appearances, and moved to Southampton in 2023 before transferring to Chelsea for up to £54million in February 2024. Though injuries cost him part of the 2023/24 season, he remains one of England’s most exciting midfield prospects thanks to his ball-winning and positional intelligence.

Morgan Rogers - Aston Villa

Departing City in 2023, Rogers transferred to Middlesbrough and soon moved on to Aston Villa in a deal worth up to £15m. A regular England youth international — and has since made his senior England debut — Rogers has emerged as a versatile attacking option with creative output and increasing Premier League minutes. He continues to rise steadily in valuation around £55–60m, establishing himself as another of City's academy success stories.

In recent hours Rogers has been rumoured to have become one of Chelsea's top transfer targets for the remainder of the transfer window. Could we see another City academy player end up at Stamford Bridge?

🚨 Chelsea have made Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers their top target for the remainder of the transfer window and will push boat out for £80m-rated England star.

(Source: Sun Sport) pic.twitter.com/IiJYjrqdqJ

— Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) July 17, 2025

James Trafford - Burnley

Trafford transferred to Burnley in July 2023 for an initial £15million, rising to £19m with add-ons — becoming one of England’s most expensive domestic goalkeepers. In 2024/25, he kept a remarkable 12 consecutive clean sheets, going 1,000 minutes without conceding to break the Championship record, and won EFL Championship Player of the Month in January. He ended the season with 29 clean sheets, equalling an all-time English league record.

🏆 @SkyBet Championship 2024/25:

⚽️ Golden Boot: Joël Piroe - @LUFC
🧤 Golden Glove: James Trafford - @BurnleyOfficial #EFL | #SkyBetChampionship pic.twitter.com/2yDoAwFgvE

— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) May 3, 2025

Tosin Adarabioyo - Chelsea

Adarabioyo left in 2020 after over a decade at City for Fulham, later joining Chelsea. He’s become a trusted Premier League centre-back, especially recognized for his aerial prowess and defensive consistency. Now valued at around £16–17m, he remains a solid presence at the top level.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis - Southampton

A long-time academy stalwart, Harwood-Bellis joined Southampton permanently in 2024 for approximately £20m. Now capped by England, he scored on his debut having been given the opportunity by Gareth Southgate in 2024, and is developing into a reliable young centre-back valued at around £20–25m, despite a relegation with The Saints last term.

Michael Olise - Bayern Munich

A brief spell at City's academy faded into obscurity compared to the brilliance Olise discovered after moving on.

Bayern Munich snapped him up from Crystal Palace in July 2024 for around €60 million, and he’s seized the spotlight ever since. In the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign, he registered a stunning 12 goals and league-leading 15 assists in 34 matches, contributing directly to over 30% of Bayern’s open-play goals. Across all competitions, those numbers climbed even higher to 20 goals and 23 assists in 55 appearances, finishing as Bayern’s second-highest scorer behind Harry Kane and winning Bundesliga Rookie of the Season, Player of the Month (April), and a place in the Team of the Season.

Michael Olise for Bayern Munich this season:

🏟️ 52 games
⚽ 20 goals
🅰️ 20 assists pic.twitter.com/T1djhQHZTI

— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) June 21, 2025

Jeremie Frimpong - Liverpool

Jeremie Frimpong's journey from Manchester City's academy to Liverpool has been remarkable. After stints at Celtic and Bayer Leverkusen, where he amassed over 60 goal contributions in 190 appearances, Frimpong has now joined Liverpool. The Premier League champions activated his €35 million (£29.5 million) release clause, securing his services on a five-year contract .

At Liverpool, Frimpong is expected to make the right-back position his own, replacing Trent Alexander-Arnold, who transferred to Real Madrid. His versatility allows him to play both as a right-back and a winger, adding depth to Liverpool's squad. Frimpong's attacking prowess, with 5 goals and 6 assists in the previous Bundesliga season, will be a valuable asset as he aims to make an impact in the Premier League.

Jeremie Frimpong and Bukayo Saka 🇳🇱🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

From Premier League 2 days to the Premier League 🤝 pic.twitter.com/WkdlbZFJaK

— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) July 17, 2025

Brahim Diaz - Real Madrid

Díaz’s trajectory post-City is a testament to resilience and steady excellence. After his £17 million move to Real Madrid in January 2019 , he earned first-team minutes and went on to win major honours: two La Liga titles (2019/20, 2023/24), one UEFA Champions League (2023/24), a UEFA Super Cup (2024), and the Intercontinental Cup (2024). During his loan at AC Milan, he was part of the squad that won Serie A in 2021/22, also earning Goal of the Month in October 2022 .

In the 2024/25 season, Brahim hit several milestones: he celebrated over 100 appearances for Real Madrid, contributed four goals and seven assists, and received the Mahou Five Star Player of the Month award after stellar performances in February 2024. He continues to rotate between playmaker and winger, bringing elegant ball control and vision to a star-studded midfield.

Final Thoughts

Although Phil Foden and Rico Lewis remain among the few academy graduates to succeed at City, with the likes of Nico O'Reilly and Callum Doyle amongst those who may soon do the same, the talents featured above show the incredible depth that has passed through the Etihad's academy doors. From Delap’s latest Chelsea breakthrough to Palmer’s stunning goal contributions and Trafford’s record-breaking season, these former City youngsters now anchor top clubs in England and beyond.

Collectively, their sales have generated well over £360m in transfer income—a testament to the academy’s potency, even when players don’t stay for the long haul . So the real question lingers: what could have been?

Perhaps with different timing or context, this XI might be powering a different City era. Yet wherever they play now, their careers illustrate why Manchester City's youth system remains one of the world’s most productive creators of stars, even if not all shine in sky-blue.