Manchester City entered last summer as firm favourites—once again tipped to win it all. But a series of catastrophic misfortunes derailed their season, culminating in the club’s first trophyless campaign in eight years.
They won nothing, despite Pep Guardiola recently pointing to their victory in the Community Shield back in August—the traditional season opener between the league champions and the FA Cup winners.
Injuries and long-term absences, especially that of Rodri, weighed heavily on the squad.
Hoping to rescue the season, the club’s hierarchy at the Etihad acted during the winter transfer window, bringing in four new signings. It proved to be a misstep. “When I look back at last summer, I think we should have been more aggressive in some of the changes we needed to make,” admitted club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak in an interview with City’s official channels. “We didn’t, and it ended up costing us the season.”
The proposed remedy? Open the checkbook. Speaking from Abu Dhabi, Al Mubarak confirmed City will be spending big. “Four players arrived in January, which gives an idea of what’s to come this summer. We will continue like this, serving the club’s needs.” The Sheikh made it clear: millions will be spent in the coming weeks. “We will continue doing our job with a clear plan. Our goal is to have a new squad ready for the Club World Cup.”
Several names are already being linked in the English press. The list of targets is growing, though there’s still work to do. City recently pulled out of the race to sign Florian Wirtz, but have shifted focus to other players. Rayan Cherki of Olympique Lyonnais has emerged as a potential Plan B.
According to the Daily Mail, the Citizens are also prepared to offer more than €65 million for Tijjani Reijnders, aiming to sign the Milan midfielder before their U.S. tour. Morgan Gibbs-White—impressive in Nottingham Forest’s unexpected run—has also caught City’s eye. Another player on their radar is Rayan Aït-Nouri of Wolverhampton Wanderers, viewed as a solution for the left-back role.
City are also exploring options for right-back reinforcements. And if either Ederson or Stefan Ortega leaves this summer, Diogo Costa of Porto is the leading candidate to take over between the posts.