Manuel Akanji has ruled out a January recall to Manchester City and is instead focused on facing Arsenal with Inter, while also challenging claims that Mikel Arteta’s side are Europe’s strongest team despite their flawless Champions League campaign.
The Switzerland international joined Inter on loan from Manchester City last September after helping Pep Guardiola’s team defeat Inter in the 2022-23 Champions League final in Istanbul, and has quickly become a key figure under Cristian Chivu with heavy involvement across the season.
Akanji has featured 25 times for Inter in all competitions, the joint-highest total in Chivu’s squad alongside Nicolo Barella, Lautaro Martinez and Petar Sucic, underlining Inter’s trust in the defender since the move from Manchester City at the start of the campaign.
Speculation had grown that Manchester City might bring Akanji back in January as injuries hit centre-backs Josko Gvardiol, Ruben Dias and John Stones, yet City instead completed a reported 20m signing of England defender Marc Guehi on Monday, easing the pressure on their defensive options.
With that development, Akanji stressed that a winter return was never realistic, saying: “No, there was no possibility of me returning to City. What happens at the end of the season isn’t only up to me, but I’m very happy here, and I hope it can continue. We’ll see what happens.”
On Tuesday, Akanji will face Arsenal once more, having previously been part of the Manchester City squads that edged Arsenal to the Premier League title in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, adding another chapter to recent battles between the clubs in domestic competition.
Arsenal enter the tie with the only perfect record in this season’s Champions League and are ranked favourites by the Opta supercomputer, projected to lift the trophy in 26% of simulations, while Inter’s chances stand at 4%, reflecting contrasting external expectations for the two sides.
Akanji gave measured praise to the Premier League leaders while rejecting the idea they are clear number one in Europe, saying: “I think Arsenal are among the best teams in Europe. For me, they’re not the very best, but they are certainly among the top sides, so it will be a great challenge, but we are ready.”
Akanji also explained that family life limits how much football is watched at home, adding that although viewing time is restricted by three children, Arsenal’s strength is still clear through the depth of the squad, the amount of quality across positions and their consistent form across different competitions.
As Inter prepare for Arsenal with Akanji established in defence and Manchester City reinforced by Marc Guehi, the defender’s future beyond this season remains open, yet for now the focus stays on contributing to Inter’s Champions League push against one of Europe’s most in-form teams.