For years, Kyle Walker was a regular player in Pep Guardiola‘s first 11. The right back from Sheffield won a lot of trophies with Manchester City and was a captain of the team at one point. But since last season, things were not the same anymore. The player had wanted to leave Manchester City for Bayern Munich last June but eventually patched things up with Guardiola and stayed. But not this season. Walker was not playing much (again) and decided to step up and seek a transfer in January. Known for his policy of not containing players which are not happy, the Spaniard allowed a transfer and City organized a loan transfer to AC Milan.Ciao @acmilan 👋🏽I’m delighted and proud to sign for AC Milan! A club with such rich history, one I’ve followed since I was a kid. It’s an honour to join and I can’t wait to pull on the Rossoneri shirt and get started.I’m very much looking forward to this new chapter in my… pic.twitter.com/F8d2UjngIG— Kyle Walker (@kylewalker2) January 24, 2025 And even thou everything was done in a civilized manner and with no hard feelings, the exit interview wasn‘t so comfortable, at least from the player‘s point of view.“When I spoke with Pep, it wasn’t a very comfortable conversation – mainly because of the respect we have for each other. What he’s won at Manchester City, I’ve won it too. I like to think he knows what I bring to a dressing room, the atmosphere I create. City was my family – from the cooks to the cleaners, the kit men and physios. I like to think I was liked and helped everyone blend in. But things weren’t going well there and I wasn’t playing enough football. Hopefully I can play a bit more here“ said Walker to the Italian press upon arrival.Walker on his way to MilanSpeaking to ex players, he concluded that playing abroad is a valuable experience but he admitted he wouldn‘t make a lot of fuss if City blocked this departure.“I could have stayed in Manchester, I would have honoured the contract if they hadn’t let me leave because that’s me as a person. But It comes down to challenges where you think “ok I need to try something different”. I’ve spoken to many ex-players who never moved abroad and told me they wished they had. If it hadn’t been a big club I’d have stayed with City. There are only certain clubs you can’t say no to and this was the opportunity I wanted, I had a gut feeling“ he revealed.Scandal! Milan’s boss and ex-captain at each other’s throats after a win?!As for AC Milan, they are happy go get an experienced player at the right back position who is also comfortable to play in the middle of defense and the club‘s advisor Zlatan Ibrahimović is particularly happy to have a strong character like Walker in the dressing room.“Walker was an opportunity and had not been an objective, but it is better to have someone like him than not. He has a strong character that the team needs, he is an Alpha figure in the locker room. We also feel he could play as a central defender, which he did at Manchester City“ said Ibrahimovic.##NAJAVA_MECA_8667124##
