Manchester City winger Mahrez happy to stay with club

Manchester City winger Riyadh Mahrez has indicated that he is happy to remain at the club. The Algerian international arrived at the Etihad Stadium last summer after establishing himself as one of the best in the League during his time with Leicester City.

Along with N’Golo Kante, Mahrez was a key player for the Leicester City side which shocked the world and won the Premier League title during the 2015/16 season. Since arriving at City, he has had mixed fortunes.

Mixed campaign for Marhez

It is likely that Mahrez would have expected more. He went on to make 27 Premier League appearances this season, scoring several goals. Many of those appearances were off the bench, however he did score a pivotal wonder goal against Brighton on the final day. As he is at the peak of his career and hungry for success, it is likely that he would have been hoping to start each and every game.

Just 14 of his League appearances for the Champions were starts. Mahrez is a player who would clearly be an instant starter for most clubs in world football, even elite ones so it is certainly not surprising that speculation emerged this season which linked him with moves away from the Etihad Stadium.

However, Mahrez has seemingly put paid to speculation that he will leave City this summer by indicating that he is happy at the Etihad.

“I need to stay strong because it’s part of my personality,” said Mahrez, according to the BBC.

“I’m very happy here. It’s not that because I don’t play I’m going to go somewhere else. It’s part of the game.

“I’m never going to go away from teams. That’s easy to do but I’m very confident about my quality and there’s another season next season.”

Mahrez will have to work hard to try and work his way into City’s first-team plans on a regular basis next season. The club will likely be seeing some big-name signings this summer.

Featured Image Credit: “Colin Bell Stand, Etihad Stadium” (CC BY 2.0) by Gene Hunt