Harry who?! Watkins makes England case as Kane watches on

How it feels to beat Lionel Messi

Why Man Utd & Liverpool both want Argentine teen Soler

Top 25 African players of the 21st century - ranked

Vini's nightmare goes on as Brazil drop more WCQ points

Mendes responds to Ronaldo criticism of Portugal players

Raphinha surprises wonderkid Yamal with £10k gold iPhone

Real Madrid midfielder announces shock retirement in emotional letter

'Please leave him alone!' - Deschamps sends out Mbappe plea

Rodri admits he wouldn't have even chosen Vinicius Jr. as Ballon d'Or runner-up

‘Can't think long term’ – Ronaldo admits he may not reach 1,000 goals

Endrick set to be offered 'escape route' out of Real Madrid

Twellman reportedly investigated for physical altercation

Manchester City

Manchester United

Liverpool

Arsenal

Chelsea

Other

Article continues belowArticle continues belowArticle continues below<script type="application/json" data-placement="fcplayer-semantic">{"type":"fcplayer-semantic","data":{"embedCode":"//cdn.fcp.codes/embed-code-template/embed-code-template.js#SEMANTIC_5704afb8-c10b-4ba5-9cb4-d7fb6098ef90"}}</script><ul><li>Bayern launched move for Walker in summer</li><li>Englishman opted to stay</li><li>Guardiola's efforts to keep right-back revealed</li></ul>

Revealed: How Pep Guardiola used a private dinner at a fancy Japanese restaurant to convince Kyle Walker to stay at Man City amid increasing Bayern Munich interest

Premier League

Tottenham

When Walker was on the cusp of a <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/news/kyle-walker-explains-rejected-bayern-munich-stay-at-man-city-new-contract-imminent/bltcd36142868b55395" target="_blank">potential move to German giants Bayern Munich</a>, Guardiola pulled out all the stops to keep his star right-back at the club, despite his growing tendency to rotate the Englishman in and out of the team. An updated version of the book <a href="https://backpagepress.co.uk/books/peps-city" target="_blank">'Pep's City: The Making of A Superteam' by Pol Ballus and Lu Martin</a> has told the story of Pep's mission to keep Walker in Manchester.

WHAT HAPPENED?

In the new edition of the book, the authors wrote: "When Pep announced the line-up in Istanbul, Kyle Walker was dismayed to discover that he was not a part of the starting XI. However, Walker still had a job to do. Pep wanted him to do the pre-game team talk in the dressing room – a reflection of his growing status as a leader and the trust Pep has in him. Walker remained an influential figure all the way to Istanbul – including signature performances versus Vinicius Junior in both legs of the semi-final against Real Madrid. When an approach from Bayern Munich came in the summer of 2023, Walker’s relationship with his manager was the key factor in his decision to stay. Over a private dinner at Japanese restaurant Musu in Manchester, Pep underlined his value both in the dressing room and on the pitch. That September, Walker agreed a two-year contract extension."

WHAT BALLUS AND MARTIN SAID

Walker remains an integral part of Guardiola's squad, even if at the age of 33 it is becoming more important that the Catalonian boss manages his player's game time. Regardless, <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/news/kyle-walker-confronted-arsenal-coach-nicolas-jover-erling-haaland-man-city/bltce0e6df477175b33" target="_blank">the England full-back</a> appears to be enjoying life at City this season; he is playing consistently and contributing to a team that looks well set to defend its Premier League title for the fourth season running.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Having failed to find a way to win against title rivals Liverpool last weekend, City will be determined to get three points against Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham side this Sunday. However, that won't be easy — Spurs <a href="https://www.goal.com/en/news/magical-moment-kane-breaking-record-tottenham-all-time-top-scorer/blte7d6ea67ae7b9213" target="_blank">have an excellent record against Pep's team</a> in recent years.

WHAT NEXT FOR MAN CITY?

Revealed: How Pep Guardiola used a private dinner at a fancy Japanese restaurant to convince Kyle Walker to stay at Man City amid increasing Bayern Munich interest | Goal.com

Pep Guardiola took Kyle Walker out for a fancy Japanese dinner to convince him to stay at Manchester City, a new book has revealed.