Why Man City’s summer transfer wait isn’t a concern

Why Man City’s summer transfer wait isn’t a concern

Manchester City have only signed Mateo Kovacic so far this summer as their rivals have been busier. So how does this compare to previous offerings?

It’s been a year to the day since Manchester City unveiled three new signings to their adoring fans.

Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez (technically a January buy but it was confirmation of his first-team status) and Stefan Ortega were all introduced to Colin Bell at an event outside the stands, while Kalvin Phillips would have been there if he hadn’t been sick. With a deal for Haaland announced before the end of the season, Txiki Begiristain had ensured the majority of City’s signings were made early.

Had they had a similar reception this year, Mateo Kovacic would have been the only one to sign alongside an academy goalkeeper and the former Chelsea midfielder would have been the only one to sign so far . With still no sign of RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol making his rounds on the training ground, where do City stand with their transfer plans compared to previous years?

It’s clear last summer was hugely effective in bringing in four first-team players, including highly coveted Haaland, before pre-season kicked off. However, the search for a left-back dragged on frustratingly throughout the summer before it was finally decided, after the first weekend of the season, to retain Sergio Gomez rather than loan him out; Manu Akanji was another latecomer, signing in the final week of the transfer window before playing an integral part in the Treble’s winning season.

Jack Grealish was bought the day before the Community Shield in August 2021 for a whopping £100m, having returned to Aston Villa to start his pre-season pending a move to be completed. And while Nathan Ake and Ferran Torres were snapped up at the start of the 2020 summer season, it took a 5-2 draw at home to Leicester – their third game of the season – for City to settle for a centre-back and Ruben Dias their signature record. James Trafford could do something only one other player has done at Man City

Another busy year was 2019. Rodri was the big signing and Zack Steffen and Angelino were also brought in while Pep Guardiola finally brought in a midfielder to inherit the Fernandinho role after being frustrated the previous summer.

However, there was more disappointment later at the window, as while dropping a deal for Harry Maguire seems wise in hindsight, the failure to replace Vincent Kompany significantly contributed to making that season the only year in the past six that the Blues did not. win. the Premier League. Joao Cancelo was not on the pre-season tour but arrived in time to try and beef up a shaky defence, while Danilo went the other way.

Riyad Mahrez went on the 2018 tour as one of the few first team players present while the World Cup was underway (Algeria had failed to qualify), having arrived promptly from Leicester. However, the Jorginho saga continued throughout the month before City decided against the move due to attention from Chelsea.

The need for a makeover was clear after Guardiola’s first year in English football and Ederson, Bernardo Silva and Danilo were quickly brought on by the recruitment team as a sign of their intent. The haggling over full-backs took longer, however, as Benjamin Mendy arrived halfway through City’s tour of the United States towards the end of July, just after Kyle Walker had just flown out; Six months later, Aymeric Laporte was a rare buy in January.

Ilkay Gündogan was Guardiola’s first signing in June 2016 and Nolito followed a month later, just in time for the tour. However, it wasn’t until August that Leroy Sane and John Stones arrived and City were already four games behind when Claudio Bravo finally arrived as the manager abruptly decided to end Joe Hart’s position in the club. first team. Certainly, looking back to the seven summer transfer windows of Guardiola’s time at the club, there were many important signings that arrived early, with Gündogan and Haaland in particular standing out. At the same time, it is not uncommon to see them at this stage of the summer when most of their work remains to be done.

This seems particularly important this summer as the level of signings is yet to be determined as the club await departures. City’s record over that period suggests a lack of key signings is no obstacle to winning many trophies.