Carragher urges City to cancel Rodri's Barcelona move as Arsenal demolish them 3-0

Arsenal dismantled Manchester City 3-0 in the Community Shield at the Principality Stadium on Sunday, prompting former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher to urge City to immediately abandon plans to sell Rodri to Barcelona.

Barcelona have had a bid accepted for the Spanish midfielder, who was left out of City’s matchday squad entirely. With one year remaining on his contract at the Etihad, Rodri now appears set to join Hansi Flick’s side — but Carragher, watching the one-sided contest unfold, posted a pointed message on social media: “Arsenal 3-0. Man City have to keep Rodri.”

The damage was done early and emphatically. Riccardo Calafiori opened the scoring after just 24 seconds, and Kai Havertz doubled Arsenal’s lead before the half-hour mark. New City manager Enzo Maresca introduced Jack Grealish at the interval, but the change had little effect as Martin Odegaard added a third just three minutes into the second half.

Maresca had addressed Rodri’s uncertain future in his pre-match press conference, stopping short of confirming any departure. “First of all, the transfer window is open. We can buy players, we can sell players, anything can happen,” he said. “I just saw Rodri now in the building, I gave him a big hug. He looks good, so we’ll see what happens. Now we will have time to see each other a little bit more.”

The result will sharpen scrutiny on City’s transfer strategy heading into the new Premier League season. Rodri was central to City’s dominance under Pep Guardiola in recent years, and Sunday’s display — without him in the squad — offered a vivid illustration of what his absence could mean over the course of a campaign.