James McAtee cites key reason to explain why Manchester City exit was inevitable

Nottingham Forest and England U21 playmaker James McAtee has explained the reasoning behind his departure from Manchester City in the summer transfer window.

McAtee signed for Nottingham Forest from City for £30 million after playing a bit-part role under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium last term, with the 23-year-old keen to progress his career with regular playing opportunities.

In a detailed interview with Four Four Two magazine last week, the Salford-born star has addressed speculation linking him with a move abroad when he was considering his options in the summer, with McAtee admitting he toured Germany amid interest from several clubs in the Bundesliga.

City have sanctioned permanent departures for a host of academy graduates in the last decade as the City Football Academy (CFA) continues to drive a net profit towards the first-team accounting sheet, with Cole Palmer the most notable sale to Chelsea for £40 million in 2023.

McAtee pushed for an exit midway through the previous campaign, when Bayer Leverkusen were strong suitors of the England U21 midfielder, who held honest talks with Pep Guardiola over his long-term prospects at City in the summer.

The Nottingham Forest man has admitted that all parties felt it was the right time for him to move on and start a new challenge away from his boyhood club, who underwent a sliding doors transfer window themselves upon the appointment of Hugo Viana as director of football.

Speaking on following his fellow Manchester City academy graduates through the exit door, McAtee said: “Cole (Palmer) has done it because he’s a great player, but you can say the same about most academy players from City who’ve gone on to do well.”

McAtee captained the England U21’s to European Championship glory in the summer after choosing to play for the young Three Lions over featuring for Manchester City at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States in June.

“Morgan Rogers and Liam Delap have done very well – so it wasn’t Cole (Palmer) but looking at the other lads, and lads I played with for England – getting minutes every week,” McAtee added.

It became inevitable as the 2024-25 season progressed that Manchester City would likely be witnessing McAtee seek a permanent exit this summer, with Guardiola sticking to his guns and placing his faith on senior stars as his side underwent their most challenging season in a decade under the 54-year-old.

McAtee was given a fair shot in the first-team in the business end of the previous campaign as the Englishman registered a brilliant goal on his full Manchester City debut in April when his boyhood club came from two goals down to seal an emphatic 5-2 win over Crystal Palace.

However, few would argue that McAtee has made the right decision to leave City but his destination has come into question since the summer, with Forest having undergone a turbulent few months after sacking Ange Postecoglou 39 days into the Australian’s reign in October.