Manchester City have not signed a first-team player during the January transfer window since the arrival of Aymeric Laporte in 2018.
Pep Guardiola was building from a position of strength at the time, boasting a 12-point lead at Premier League summit as they cantered towards the first and so far only centurion campaign in the history of English football. The environment this year could not be any different.
Caught in the worst crisis of his managerial career, Guardiola revealed that City could be forced to dive into the January transfer window.
“We are not a big fan of that [window] but the circumstances this season were special,” Guardiola fretted before watching his side lose again against Aston Villa. “We talked about doing something.”
Here’s what that something could be.
There is little that a fully fit Rodri could have done over the past three months to earn the same level of acclaim that has come his way as Manchester City have spiraled violently out of control in his absence.
When is it Ballon d’Or winner limped off midway through Arsenal’s visit to the Etihad in September, City led 1-0 and topped the table live Premier League table.
In the next 12 league games, the defending champions dropped to seventh place and scored a league-high 20 goals. The season hasn’t even reached its halfway point yet and City have already made more mistakes that have led to goals than in three of the last four complete campaigns.
Ilkay Gundogan is only hypothetically back from a year’s holiday in Barcelona, while Mateo Kovacic – the closest thing Guardiola has to Rodri’s replacement – is overwhelmed by his own injuries.
Potential targets
The city is said to have compiled a shortlist of five midfield players. The best candidates could be Martin Zubimendi. The lightweight orchestrator at the base of Real Sociedad’s midfield was the man chosen by Luis de la Fuente to fill the void left by Rodri’s half-time substitution in the Euro 2024 final.
Although Zubimendi does not have the same high physical profile as his compatriot, he boasts ease in possession and a clear understanding of the game. There was a reason Liverpool spent so much last summer chasing after him.
There is no doubt about the physical ability Ederson. The Brazilian midfielder covers the field of two regular players from the heart of Atalanta’s engine room for all the action. Blessed with a brain as strong as his other muscles, Ederson seems to be getting better with each passing day under the watchful eye of Gian Piero Gasperini.
If City are looking for a Premier League-proven talent, they could go for him Bruno Guimaraes. Newcastle United’s magical vice-captain already has a long rivalry with Rodri, but he would do an excellent job replacing the Spaniard and could easily play alongside him when he returns to the pitch. All City would need to do is raise £100m.
City’s injury crisis they may have been looking for their best midfielder, but that fitness calamity has also ravaged the back line. Matheus Nunes had to be thrust awkwardly into the left-back role for December’s Manchester derby – and duly conceded a penalty – after Guardiola was left with just three available defenders. Ruben Dias was then forced to an increasingly crowded treatment room.
While the declining Kyle Walker lives up to his surname on the right of City’s back line, Guardiola has been looking for a natural left-back for years.
The reigning champions are in desperate need of any vaguely defensive-minded piece after scoring two or more goals in seven consecutive games between late October and early December. The last time City suffered such a porous run was in 1963, when they conceded 102 league goals and were relegated.
Potential targets
The full-back role in Guardiola’s team is perhaps the most complex position in football. Suitable candidates must boast the skills of a midfielder and the mind of a defender. Miguel Gutierrez he is one of the few players who really understands the demands of this hybrid role.
The former Real Madrid academy graduate thrived for Girona as an inverted left-back under Michel. Like one of the teams below The City Football Group’s umbrella of influenceGutierrez’s manager has access to the exact coaching drills that Guardiola outlined in Manchester. That CFG link will also grease the wheels of any transfer negotiations.
In recent years, Guardiola has increasingly valued the physicality, as well as the finesse, of his defenders. Barcelona Jules Kounde and David Hančko from Feyenoord both offer a unique balance of delight and guile having worked as centre-backs and full-backs.
When Julian Alvarez forced a landmark £81.5m move to Atletico Madrid in the summer, Guardiola hinted that City would secure a replacement for the World Cup winner in the remaining days of the transfer window. 33-year-old Gundogan was the only one to arrive.
The captain of City’s treble-winning side has been a shadow of his former self this season, standing out with his struggles in a team that is in the form of relegation fodder.
Kevin De Bruyne has barely been seen this term, and Phil Foden may have missed the game himself. The reigning Premier League Player of the Year did not score his first league goal of the season until December 21, netting his 30th attempt of the campaign in a consolation defeat to Aston Villa.
Potential targets
City are optimistically linked with the Bayer Leverkusen starlet Florian Wirtzbut the prolific German prodigy won’t be going anywhere in January for anything less than nine figures. Even then, Leverkusen could simply refuse lose the best player in the middle of the season.
Omar Marmoush he may not have the same hype as Wirtz, but the Egypt international has collected the same number of Bundesliga assists (seven) and scored almost twice as many league goals (13) as the in-demand playmaker this season. The record holder Eintracht Frankfurt forward has been repeatedly linked with Liverpool this term, but would certainly be interested in a move from the reigning Premier League champions.
Nico PazA modest result of two goals and three assists must be put into perspective. The Real Madrid academy graduate operates at the epicenter of newly promoted Como Cesc Fabregas, pulling the strings with a mesmerizing, almost no-nonsense style.
A City side that increasingly look too terrified to attempt anything brash for fear of repercussions – only to err on the side of playing it safe – could be content with Paz’s sense of adventure.
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