Claudio Echeverri, on loan from Manchester City, continues to play a subordinate role at Bayer Leverkusen. Even for Pep Guardiola, the situation of the top talent seems to be an annoyance. Now a drastic step is conceivable.
At least Claudio Echeverri hadn’t lost his smile. As Bayer Leverkusen’s traveling party left the catacombs of the Etihad Stadium late Tuesday evening, the young Argentinian joked and grinned in good spirits with Alejandro Grimaldo. About the Werkself’s impressive triumph in the north of England? Or about an anecdote from his time at Manchester City? One can only speculate about that. The only thing that is certain is that it was probably not about his personal day.
In the sporting area, this again contained nothing that could have positively influenced the 19-year-old’s mood. In the 2-0 win against the Citizens, his parent club, Echeverri was not in the starting XI. Later he warmed up diligently like the rest of the substitutes, but was not even substituted by coach Kasper Hjulmand – even though the personnel situation was extremely tense. The Rhinelanders had to cope without eleven players in the Champions League.
The situation of Claudio Echeverri (r.), here in May 2025, obviously does not please Man City coach Pep Guardiola
Six juniors from the U19 took their place on the bench. In addition to them, only goalkeeper Niklas Lomb, Nathan Tella, Eliesse Ben Seghir and Echeverri were sitting there – the chances of playing for the remaining players were correspondingly high. But the fact that Hjulmand only used Tella as a joker and left the summer loan from ManCity out in his actual footballing home despite everything spoke volumes. Or was even tantamount to another setback. After all, Echeverri’s time in Leverkusen has been disappointing so far.
Guardiola snidely: “I’m sure his great advisor knows everything”
Echeverri has made four appearances each in the Bundesliga and the Champions League. He made it into the starting eleven three times. Far too little for the demands of the actual “exceptional talent”. When his loan to the Rhineland was finalized in the summer, CEO Simon Rolfes raved that football fans would come to the stadium for players like Echeverri. The youngster should have become one of the players who make the big differences on the pitch. But so far this plan has not worked out at all.
The reasons for this are varied. On the one hand, there was the lack of match practice and an injury. After his move from River Plate to Manchester City at the beginning of 2025, Echeverri was practically not allowed to play at all and arrived in Leverkusen without the necessary competitive toughness. On the other hand, he repeatedly lacked tactical discipline. So Hjulmand often preferred other players and consoled the new signing with patience. But this seems to be coming to an end. For Echeverri – and also for Pep Guardiola.
When asked about the dribbling artist’s unsatisfactory situation, Guardiola reacted annoyed during the Champions League duel. In the meantime, a drastic measure is becoming increasingly likely: a loan termination. But in the end, that is a case for “his wonderful advisor,” the Spaniard grumbled in response to a corresponding question: “We appreciate him very much as a player. I don’t know what happened in Leverkusen. I haven’t spoken to him. I am pretty sure that his great advisor knows everything.”
Does Echeverri want to return home?
What was the cause of Guardiola’s snippy words? Perhaps the circumstances surrounding the move in the summer. Echeverri’s agent recently came into focus when Quique Carcel, manager of FC Girona, talked about how close the club had come to a loan deal with Echeverri. “I think he wanted to come to us, and it was his advisor who was looking for a different project,” Carcel described. The other project was called Bayer. And so far it has been crowned with little success. Rolfes, who spoke to the Manchester bosses on the trip, knows that.
Claudio Echeverri’s situation remains uncertain
“I am frequently in contact with City, we have a very good relationship. Therefore, we are not only exchanging ideas about this game,” commented the Bayer CEO on the subject: “Of course, we all wished that Claudio would play a little more and reach a different level of fitness faster after his injury in the summer. No question, we will exchange ideas about his situation. But it is open, Claudio is with us now. That’s the status. There is also no reason to make a decision now.”
Man City probably has a contract option
However, there is not much time left for this – and in any case, Rolfes’ words can probably be interpreted relatively easily: If Echeverri’s situation does not change in the remaining six competitive games of this calendar year, his time in Leverkusen will end prematurely after half a year. The loan deal, which was actually supposed to give the highly talented player far more match practice than before on the British Isles, is too disappointing for everyone involved. For Manchester City, who paid almost 20 million euros for him in the winter of 2024. For Bayer Leverkusen. And of course also for Echeverri himself.
According to various media reports, the Citizens have an option anchored in the loan agreement to bring Echeverri back prematurely in the winter if he misses a certain amount of playing time. The young Argentinian is said to prefer a return to River Plate in his home country, while the club prefers a loan within Europe. So much remains unclear. The only thing that is certain is that things cannot continue as they are now. Because Guardiola’s anger at the plan that has failed so far speaks volumes.