Rayan Cherki, who made a move from Olympique de Lyonnais to Manchester City this summer, has spoken about his objectives with the Cityzens. The winger-cum-attacking-midfielder has also revealed his style and mentality, which can have an immense impact on City's season under Guardiola as they aim to reclaim the Premier League title at the end of the campaign.
Cherki an 'old school' guy
Cherki was one of the high-voltage signings Guardiola's recruitment team accomplished heading into the 2025-26 season. A whopping £34 million was spent by the Etihad-based club to convince French outfit Lyon to let go of their star player, who scored 29 times and assisted on 45 occasions in 185 appearances for the Ligue 1 giants. Overwhelmed to join City, Cherki had already shown signs of his 'old school' mentality since his arrival. Although he took some time to settle into the side alongside an injury that sidelined him for a period, he is slowly integrating himself into Guardiola's system and finding the groove under the Spanish maestro. In 13 appearances, he has already secured eight goal contributions, which include four goals and four assists.
AdvertisementGetty Images SportWhat are Cherki's objectives?
Speaking in an interaction with TF1, Cherki expressed that he simply wanted to enjoy himself under Guardiola's leadership. Moreover, he is not someone who has statistical objectives for a season but wants to be close to his stats from the last season, where he scored 12 goals and assisted 20 times in 44 matches.
He revealed: "I’m not a stats guy. I think that you can see that in the way that I play football. I’m an old-school footballer, and the ‘old-school’ didn’t look at stats. I know that nowadays, that element is very important."
He had revealed his old-school mentality in his initial City days, where he expressed anger against Manchester United, who defeated Lyon in the Europa League quarter-finals to book a place in the last four. He had commented: "I (didn't) like (it) when Manchester United won the game against Lyon because I'm a Lyonnais. Now I am waiting for the game (to) kill them. I'm here to win all the games." He had also mentioned, "I'm not Kevin De Bruyne, he is the legend. I'm here to help the team and to write my own story. I hope to win all the time with the team. When I spoke with Pep, he wanted me – he was very, very clear. Pep told me, 'when you have the ball, you are free', which is very good for me because it's my first quality to help the team."
Cherki's former coach ideates what he needs to shine
Laurent Blanc, who nurtured Cherki at Lyon, has spoken up on what the star, who has accumulated just four starts this season, needs to establish a place in City's starting lineup.
He said to L'Equipe, via the Mirror: "I don't know where it comes from, whether it's street talent or innate talent, but he's brimming with it. I can assure you that there aren't many players like him. He's a rare gem. In the media world, you call him a rising star. He has no technical limitations. His limitations will be more tactical and physical. Physically, I had the pleasure of seeing him again recently; he's changed, and for the better. He's among the best, the very best.
"If he adapts tactically, he'll have a huge advantage. His talent and genius make him a rare player. He just needs to find a coach who trusts him. And I think he has. Because of his talent and his natural ability, he doesn't put pressure on himself. His love of the game keeps him free from any kind of pressure. But for him, things are about to get serious. We're going to be more and more demanding. He has enough talent to rise to the challenge. I understand it's difficult for coaches to play him, given the pressure to get results. But yes, he has to be played. And yes, he has to be given freedom. Because I'm convinced that with Rayan, you'll always have a better chance of winning than losing."
Getty Images SportWill Cherki start against Newcastle?
Cherki earned 53 minutes of playing time against Liverpool in City's last league game before the November international break. When City return to the pitch on November 22 against Eddie Howe's Newcastle United, Cherki will be aiming to get more minutes against a struggling Magpies. With Jeremy Doku and Erling Haaland alongside him, he could be more lethal and help Haaland extend his magnificent form from the World Cup qualifiers. Moreover, Cherki's scoring knack could also be handy for Guardiola against a Newcastle team, which will be vying to return to winning ways after suffering a hefty 3-1 loss to Brentford in their previous outing.