Manchester City's head groundsman has shared a picture on social media showcasing the new turf at the Etihad Stadium, which appears to be close to completion ahead of the new season. There's also been an official confirmation of Filip Stevanovic's move to the Eredivisie, while City have also announced the reopening date of the club shop.
NEW PITCH
In March, Pep Guardiola discussed the poor state of the Etihad Stadium pitch:
"I know the weather conditions here in England are tough, but there are stadiums where the grass is good. We were in London against Arsenal, at Anfield, at Old Trafford and the grass was better. We were in Budapest in the Champions League and the grass was incredible, red carpet.
"They're working a lot, they are trying to find a solution but the grass is not good. I'm not a greenkeeper, I cannot give you a reason why but the reality is not good. We have to find a way from October 'til March, that the grass can be as good as possible. To avoid injuries, for better football, for many reasons.
(as quoted by the BBC)
At the time, Simon Stone of the BBC reported that club sources agreed the pitch was not good enough, but no blame was to be pinned on head groundsman Lee Jackson, with the surface being the joint-oldest in the Premier League along with Burnley's, according to Jack Gaughan of Mail Sport.
Gaughan also wrote that City were planning to dig up and rebuild the pitch this summer, adding that the club were due to undertake an overhaul of the pitch last summer but that those plans were delayed due to the pandemic.
Last month, City published a behind the scenes of the pitch progress - detailing some of the new features the pitch will have:
Air vacuum system, which can pull moisture out of the pitch against the force of gravity - making the Etihad Stadium pitch one of just a few to have this type of system in the UK.
Ability to retain and recycle over 200,000 litres of rain and pitch irrigation water, which is a first in the UK for this type of pitch drainage system.
In a post on his Instagram page yesterday, Jackson, a lifelong City fan and head groundsman since 2009, shared a picture of the new Etihad Stadium pitch, which will now need a few weeks to establish ahead of the new campaign.
Jackson's picture also shows work being done on the lower tier of the South Stand for a rail seating area, which means the club will be prepared should the government bring forward legislation to introduce safe standing in the Premier League, according to a club statement from March.
FILIP STEVANOVIC
Eredivisie side SC Heerenveen have announced the signing of Filip Stevanović on a two-year loan deal from Manchester City. We covered information from Voetbal International's Reon Boeringa, who reported the agreement two days ago. The 18-year-old winger was signed from Partizan Belgrade by City in the January window.
CLUB SHOP REOPENING
City have announced that the club shop will reopen on July 10 (tomorrow) after a fortnight of closure due to minor refurbishments, with the home kit to be launched on July 14 (Wednesday).
Written by: @NA1907_
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