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

When Walker was on the cusp of a potential move to German giants Bayern Munich, 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 'Pep's City: The Making of A Superteam' by Pol Ballus and Lu Martin has told the story of Pep's mission to keep Walker in Manchester.

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."

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, the England full-back 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.

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 have an excellent record against Pep's team in recent years.