Rayan Cherki faced Manchester City doubts before transfer

Rayan Cherki’s arrival at Manchester City was not approved without hesitation, according to revelations from the Prime Video documentary A Beautiful Obsession.

The French playmaker joined from Lyon in June 2025 for €36.5 million, but several senior figures reportedly questioned whether his personality suited the club.

City were searching for a long-term successor to Kevin De Bruyne, whose time at the Etihad was nearing its conclusion. The club’s recruitment team analysed dozens of performance indicators before narrowing their search to players capable of operating as a number ten.

Sporting director Hugo Viana identified Cherki as a potential future replacement, but admitted there were concerns surrounding his mentality. “He could be the one with Kevin’s profile in two years. But the mentality is… The information on Cherki wasn’t very positive, to be honest,” Viana said.

Chief executive Ferran Soriano expressed similar reservations, saying: “Everyone knew his potential, but we had the feeling he was chaotic.”

Those doubts eased after Cherki spoke with Pep Guardiola in June 2025. The manager quickly felt encouraged by their exchange and told the player: “Tomorrow, we begin our new adventure and it will be better than last season, I promise.”