Are Manchester City panic buying?
Four players will have arrived by the time the transfer window closes
When everything falls apart, it falls apart dramatically. That is perhaps the best way to summarise Manchester City’s season. Sunday’s 5-1 loss to Arsenal was humiliating for the reigning champions. Yet, it wasn’t a result that was unexpected.
Pep Guardiola’s team struggled to get through the Champions League league phase and needed a come-from-behind win over Club Brugge to progress to the last-16 playoffs.
Cast your mind back to when City went to Anfield. Guardiola took the bench already looking like a defeated manager. When the final whistle blew, there was plenty of relief from Guardiola that it was just a 2-0 loss to the Reds.
Arsenal’s win over Manchester City showed the latter’s inability to get wins over their biggest rivals. City have lost to Tottenham, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester United in league play. Their draw against Arsenal at the Etihad was City’s only point against those four clubs.
Everyone wants someone or something to blame for Man City’s poor results. Rodri’s absence from midfield has received the most blame. Yet, it is easy to lay blame at the absence of the midfielder, which has made him out to be an even better player in everyone’s mind. Of course, Rodri is a Ballon d’OR winner, and rightfully so, but Manchester City didn’t lose matches immediately in the wake of the Spaniard’s injury.
Rodri’s knee injury occurred against Arsenal on September 22, in a 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium. City went unbeaten in their next seven matches, winning six times. It wasn’t until their 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup that Manchester City’s season started to spiral downwards.
Manchester City have been one of the most active Premier League teams in the transfer window. The club will have signed four players by the time the transfer window closes.
The three players already signed, Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Vitor Reis, joined the club for a combined fee of €152 million. The addition of the three players, and their subsequent form, makes it appear that Manchester City are panicking halfway through the campaign.
Marmoush, a fantastic player at Eintracht Frankfurt, cost the most out of the four players (€75m). The 25-year-old centre-forward, who can also play on the wing, had 15 goals and 10 assists in 17 Bundesliga matches.
The Egyptian has played twice for City since joining but struggled to make much of an impact in either game. He didn’t complete either match. Marmoush could be another former Eintracht Frankfurt forward to struggle once leaving the club.
Eintracht Frankfurt have done well to develop players such as Luka Jovic, Sebastien Haller, Felipe Kostic, Ante Rebic, Andre Silva, and Randal Kolo Muani. All were all fantastic goal scorers or creators for the Eagles; but all failed to hit those same heights after leaving.
Khusanov had a mare in his debut for Manchester City. Signed from Lens for €40m, Khusanov played 54 minutes against Chelsea. He picked up a yellow card a mere four minutes into the game. Even with City smashed by Arsenal on Sunday, Guardiola kept the young defender on the bench.
Reis, a 19-year-old centre-back, cost the club €37m. The Brazilian joined from Palmeiras and is yet to play. Reis was left on the bench in the two matches he was eligible for.
While writing this article, news broke that Manchester City were on the verge of signing midfielder Nico Gonzalez. The FC Porto player can play as both a defensive and box-to-box midfielder in a 4-3-3. Gonzalez is valued at €18m, but City should pay significantly more for his services. The former Barcelona player has made 29 appearances, scoring seven goals and assisting six in all competitions.
If Manchester City do finalise the deal for Gonzalez as expected, he would be the fourth player to arrive at the club under the age of 25 this transfer window. The club’s desire to add players under the age of 25 is likely a calculated move.
Guardiola has the fourth-oldest squad in the league (27.0 years old). West Ham, Everton, and Fulham are the only clubs with older squads. The teams ahead of Manchester City in the table: Nottingham Forest, Arsenal, and Liverpool all have younger playing squads.
It isn’t just the age of the players at City. Many of the star players have been through the wars before and are showing signs of fatigue. Kevin De Bruyne has made just 17 league appearances, scoring two goals and six assists. For the most part, De Bruyne has been a bit part player.
Phil Foden has been completely off his game since the end of last season. While he has seven goals in the league, five of them have come against teams in 11th place or lower. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland is not without criticism. The Norwegian, considered by many to be the best centre-forward in football, has shown that he needs the rest of the team to be at a high level for him to score goals.
Yes, Haaland has 19 goals in the Premier League, but 15 of those goals have come against clubs in 10th place or lower. Four of Haaland’s goals have come against Arsenal and Chelsea.
Are Manchester City panic buying players? It is always said January isn’t the best time to buy players due to the lack of value available. City are trying to spend their way out of their problems midway through the season. It didn’t matter how much they spent on players prior to the 5-1 loss to Arsenal, however.
City’s season could go one of two ways over the next month. The Cityzens will face Real Madrid over two legs in the Champions League last-16 playoffs along with Newcastle United, Liverpool, and Tottenham Hotspur in the league. Things could certainly get worse despite signing four big-money players in the transfer market.