Jeremy Monga says Manchester City won him over because of their pathway, success and the chance to win trophies. The England Under-19 international was close to Arsenal, but the £10m move from Leicester ended with City, and he says the club itself made the difference.
City’s pathway and trophies
"The main decision was probably the pathway and the club itself," Jeremy Monga told BBC Sport. "They've been so successful that it was a no-brainer when City call. It's every child's dream to win trophies and be at the top with the best."
That lines up with City’s recent record. They finished second in the 2025 Premier League season with 78 points, and their Champions League run has included five wins from eight, even if the recent sequence has been uneven. In the current Premier League table snapshot they are 15th, with 0 points from 0 played.
The appeal is obvious enough. Monga is not talking about joining a project in the abstract, he is talking about joining a club with a track record that still carries weight even in a strange league snapshot.
Hazard as the reference point
Monga also said C. Hazard shapes the way he wants to play. "Definitely his directness, him taking the game by the scruff of his neck trying to win the game by himself and definitely the way he manipulates the ball, trying to implement that into my game," he said.
That fits the broader picture of a teenager who has already had to cope with senior football. He made his Premier League debut aged 15 years and 271 days, and is described as the third-youngest player to appear in the competition. He also played 30 times last season for Leicester, so this is not a move built on promise alone.
The Hazard comparison is sensible rather than overblown. Monga is talking about directness and ball manipulation, not pretending he is already finished as a player. That is a more useful way to read the move, and it is probably why City felt more convincing than Arsenal.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
