How Man City might line up in the Championship after dropping down, with five big stars staying and young talents joining in
If Manchester City’s appeal against serious breaches of Premier League and UEFA financial rules doesn’t succeed, they could face a range of punishments—with relegation to a lower league being the toughest.
An independent commission found City guilty of the most serious of their 115 charges, saying they broke both Premier League and UEFA rules. The club insists they’re innocent and say they have ‘irrefutable evidence’ to prove it. They’ve already appealed, and that hearing should happen within 12 weeks.
The Independent recently reported that some unnamed executives discussed a possible ‘interim punishment’ for City during their 3-0 win over Liverpool, which could see City kicked out of the league if 15 other clubs agree, under Rule 6B. Because the appeal is still ongoing, things are likely to take longer—and City could even take the case to the High Court if it doesn’t go their way.
At this stage, whether City would actually be relegated is just a possibility. If they are found guilty and punished, the details will be worked out later. But we’ve looked at what City’s squad might look like if they do end up in the Championship.
One big plus for City, even if the verdict is against them, is their excellent youth academy. They’ve developed some of the best young players in the country and helped many become top stars—even though it’s tough for youngsters to break into a City team full of talent.
Right now, several young City players are gaining experience in the three EFL divisions, hoping to impress and either join Enzo Maresca’s first team or earn big moves elsewhere. Players like Liam Delap, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, James McAtee, and Callum Doyle have all made progress recently.
If City drop to the Championship, many of these young stars would see it as a great chance to prove themselves—after all, City would still be one of the most attractive clubs to play for in England. So, in our predicted lineup, we included some of these rising talents, a few key existing players, and some young European signings—assuming Premier League clubs might avoid deals with City. And yes, Enzo Maresca, who successfully managed Leicester to promotion in 2024, would stay on as manager.
Starting with goalkeeper, Pierce Charles is in excellent form on loan at QPR in the Championship. The Northern Irish keeper, who returned to City from Sheffield Wednesday, is great at stopping shots and passing the ball and could become City’s starter soon—even if they stay in the Premier League.
Defensively, we expect homegrown stars Rico Lewis and Nico O’Reilly to stick around for a season to help City get promoted again. O’Reilly is especially well-placed as he’s already a regular in the England squad under Thomas Tuchel.
At centre-back, Stephen Mfuni, who’s impressing on loan at Coventry City, would slot in alongside Abdukodir Khusanov, an Uzbek player who’s under contract until 2031.
In defensive midfield, Ayyoub Bouaddi will be in his second season after joining City for £100 million from Lille. Though he hasn’t yet started a Premier League game under Maresca, he might be willing to play in the Championship. He’d be joined by Elliot Anderson, another big summer signing who’s also in a solid position with England and could handle a year in the second tier.
Moving further forward, Phil Foden would be City’s star player. He’s still to commit his future but has spent his whole career at City and would likely lead the push back to the Premier League. Like Jarrod Bowen at West Ham this season, he might negotiate a new contract to stay.
Up front, Divine Mukasa, who spent last year on loan at West Ham playing mostly as a central midfielder but capable further forward, would get his chance. We also expect Antoine Semenyo, who rose from non-league football to the Premier League and joined City from Bournemouth last year, to stay. Young winger Allan Ruiz, recently signed from Brazilian club Palmeiras, would probably also remain.
There isn’t much history of top teams being forced down a division like this, but a similar case was Juventus in 2006/07. After their demotion over a scandal, some stars left permanently—like Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Patrick Vieira—while others, including Buffon and Alessandro Del Piero, stayed and helped Juve bounce back immediately.
Football money has changed since then, though, and many City stars could go on loan to play in the Champions League before returning, or leave the club for good. Players like Erling Haaland, Jeremy Doku, Josko Gvardiol, and Gianluigi Donnarumma could take those paths.
Another reason this is still so hypothetical is the Championship’s new spending rule for 2026/27, which lets clubs spend up to 85% of their football income on the first-team squad. This is why we’ve left some of City’s higher earners out of our predicted lineup. The EFL probably didn’t expect a club with City’s money to be in the Championship, but this rule would shape exactly what City could do on the transfer market. They might have to loan many players out or sell them permanently, as they adjust.