For a while in the winter, there were reports that La Liga were interested in the Portuguese international for Atletico Madrid and Barcelona, with the midfielder temporarily linked to a move to Arsenal. Rumors have even suggested that City will use Silva as a supplement in their deal with Harry Kane, although Etihad's exit did not materialize.
Head coach Guardiola was open to the prospect of Silva leaving at the transfer window and said last month: "All I want is Bernardo to be happy here or anywhere. All I want is his happiness because he's a thing that deserves the best. However, having found no potential suitors, Silva remained in Manchester and he once again established himself as a key figure for Manchester City.
Despite preparing to sell Silva, the 27-year-old has finished sixth in playing time (490 minutes) of all of City's foreign players this season. The three men who are ahead of him on this particular indicator are defenders João Cancello, Ruben Díaz and Kyle Walker. The huge arrival of Jack Grelish is expected to effectively end Silva's time at the club, and the England international was used on the bench in Silva's Community Shield win over Leicester in August, a clear indication that the former Aston Villarian is ahead of his new team-mate in pecking order.
However, Silva has started six of City's seven Premier League games this season. The one he didn't play was the only one City had lost, in the first weekend's 1-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur. Silva, who was not used in the Tottenham Hotspur stadium defeat, must have wanted to continue to help City save a result. In fact, the main reason he returned to starting XI the following week was injuries to Phil Foden and Kevin de Bruyne, which left Silva in the middle of the park alongside Rodri and Ilkai Gundogan.
Just as Emerick Laporte seized the opportunity to consolidate City's defensive starting position, performing well with Ruben Díaz at the expense of John Stones, the injury in the middle of the park forced Guardiola to strike and Silva did not look back. Of all the Manchester City players in the Premier League this season, only Rodri (7.40) and João Cancelo (7.39) have received higher ratings than Silva (7.32), and his tenacity and great asset to Guardiola's side have been brought.
Of the Season England top flight, only Canceló (16) have made more steals than Silva (12), while only Grellish (13) have done more dribbling (11). A player with his talents and skills is a huge boost to the reigning Premier League champions, so the decision to get him out was a surprising one. Guardiola admits he wants Silva to be "happy", but since the all-around midfielder joined Monaco in 2017, they have won three of the five Premier League titles, and given their record of starting at Silva, they were foolish to have him on the other side.
Since the start of the 2020/21 season, Silva has started 30 of their 45 Premier League games. In these 30 games, Manchester City have a 80% win rate with him. In the 15 games he didn't start, that percentage dropped to 46.7 percent. The average number of goals per game dropped from 2.33 to 1.80, and the number of goals conceded per game rose from 0.67 to 1.00. Of course, there are some mitigating circumstances about the reasons for the team's loss – football is a team sport, the absence of a player, no matter how good they are, doesn't completely affect the outcome – but Manchester City are a much tougher team he beats when he starts.
There is also the fact that Silva saved his best performance in a match against tough opponents in the Premier League. Since the start of the 2020/21 season, he has played four of the 10 most rated games in England's top flight against Chelsea, Liverpool (twice) and Leicester, all three of which finished in the top five last season. When things got tough, Silva started moving forward.
While he may not have as much to offer as his Manchester City team-mates in the attacking third zone, Silva's work outside of possession and possession is very important for Guardiola's team, as is his interchangeability in the game. Fans have seen Silva play in midfield for most of the season, but being able to play on either side, even as a striker, means Guardiola was able to adjust his size during the game for the benefit of the team, ensuring safety knowing that the Portuguese midfielder will carry out the tasks he has asked for to be held to the highest standards.
The city has been struggling when he's not started and shouldn't have come as a shock to anyone, especially since his high-energy approach sets the pace for the defending champions. Still, after a summer of contact with leaving Etihad, Silva has been his best performance in midfield at Manchester City, with injuries giving him the chance to return to the game and it's unlikely we'll see the stable Portuguese star sacrifice his place soon around.