'Man City's golden transfer touch under intense scrutiny'

Manchester City and manager Pep Guardiola are wrestling with the biggest situation they person faced since the Catalan arrived astatine Etihad Stadium successful 2016.

As the scrutiny grows, a uncommon question is present being asked – person Manchester City's transportation and recruitment strategists taken their eyes disconnected the shot aft a play of unprecedented success?

Have they been caught retired by failing to future-proof arsenic the silverware piled up?

After years of astir flawless readying to support home domination and yet assertion the Champions League crown successful 2023, the aureate manus that guided City successful the transportation marketplace does not look rather truthful assured.

Since Guardiola joined successful 2016, their full walk is £1.38bn, portion the nett walk of £525m is grounds of the club's quality to maximise income and monetise their elite academy set-up.

The acquisitions of the improvement that is Erling Haaland and Croatia defender Josko Gvardiola cannot beryllium questioned; young endowment of the highest prime who were coveted by each nine successful Europe.

Jack Grealish's fortunes person fluctuated - helium has 1 City extremity successful 2024 - aft his £100m determination from Aston Villa but helium inactive played a cardinal relation erstwhile the treble of the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup was won successful 2023.

Manuel Akanji has unquestionably been a bargain aft his determination from Borussia Dortmund for astir £15m.

Question marks, however, bent elsewhere – peculiarly implicit the contented of letting Cole Palmer articulation Chelsea for £40m past sanctioning the merchantability of Argentina's World Cup-winning guardant Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid.

It has near City's squad looking arsenic susceptible arsenic astatine immoderate clip nether Guardiola, leaving immoderate of the decision-making nether the microscope.

Kalvin Phillips' six-year £45m woody from Leeds successful July 2022 resulted successful conscionable 2 league starts, playing lone 380 minutes successful the apical flight, earlier being loaned to West Ham United past Ipswich Town.

Matheus Nunes came from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £53m successful September 2023 but has made small impact. The 26-year-old started lone 7 Premier League games successful his archetypal play and 3 successful this.

Jeremy Doku is simply a talented enactment successful advancement astatine conscionable 22, but the £55m seizure from Rennes successful August 2023 has had injuries precocious and lone started 18 league games past season.

Guardiola, however, was intelligibly blessed with the size and prime of his squad past summer. He lone signed Brazil winger Savinho for up to £30m past brought backmost Gundogan erstwhile helium fell from favour astatine Barcelona.

Has this present been exposed arsenic a mistake fixed the squad looks bare due to the fact that of injury?

Guardiola prefers to enactment with a tighter squad of elite players and is notoriously reluctant to support those who whitethorn privation to determination connected - often dispensing with them ruthlessly. But determination has been an exodus of endowment from Etihad Stadium that present looks similar it could beryllium returning to haunt the champions.

Chief among them is Palmer, who was agitating to determination successful his hunt for regular crippled time, but has been specified a resounding occurrence astatine Chelsea that privately Guardiola whitethorn wonderment whether should helium person stood firm.

Palmer was progressive successful 45 games for Chelsea past season, scoring 25 goals. He scored 22 of those successful the Premier League, 2nd lone to Haaland's 27. He has already scored 7 goals successful 14 appearances this season.

Alvarez, truthful often the hard-working and selfless foil to Haaland, has besides been missed arsenic City hunt for the cutting borderline that has been missing this season. He was a potent operation of work-rate and menace nether Guardiola, scoring 17 goals successful 49 appearances successful 2022-23 and 19 goals successful 54 appearances past season.

City banked the immense magnitude of £81m for Alvarez from Atletico Madrid but helium has been sorely missed arsenic the goals person dried up this term.

Former academy defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis, present thriving astatine Southampton, scored connected his England debut against the Republic Of Ireland but realistically would person struggled to play regularly astatine City.

Few would besides instrumentality contented with City's determination to merchantability Raheem Sterling to Chelsea, on with Oleksandr Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus to Arsenal, the second leaving aft Haaland's arrival.

It volition beryllium each alteration successful the summertime with Guardiola's long-time person and confidante from their days astatine Barcelona, Txiki Begiristain, leaving arsenic manager of shot to beryllium replaced by Hugo Viana.

It is hard to judge complacency crept into City's strategy, but determination is nary uncertainty the existent grounds suggests Viana volition request a greater deed complaint than successful caller years.

Guardiola dismisses the proposition City person allowed their squad to get excessively agelong successful the tooth, but this is an ageing radical and miles connected the timepiece yet look to beryllium taking their toll.

Former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, analysing City's 4-0 Spurs decision said: "I did this aforesaid investigation 2 years agone connected Jordan Henderson and Fabinho.

"What I’m talking astir with Gundogan and Kovacic, this is not players retired of form, this is not going to change. For Liverpool, the examination was Jordan Henderson and Fabinto successful those positions. They ended up moving connected and Liverpool had to rebuild successful midfield.

"That's what Manchester City are going to person to do. Whatever Pep thinks of, determination is not capable legs successful that midfield close present to alteration what we're seeing."

And however galore times tin players who person created a glorious epoch of home domination and European occurrence instrumentality to the good with the aforesaid hunger and strength aft winning six Premier Leagues, the Champions League, 2 FA Cups, 4 League Cups, the Uefa Super Cup and the Club World Cup?

Kevin de Bruyne, 34 successful June, is progressively troubled by injuries and has formed uncertainty connected his aboriginal astatine the club. He started 15 Premier League games past season, 26 successful each competitions, and conscionable 4 this play aft his latest injury.

England defender Kyle Walker is 34 and has looked progressively susceptible this season, though helium has besides been carrying an injury.

Ilkay Gundogan, besides 34, has looked a shadiness of the match-winning inspiration helium was successful his archetypal spell aft returning from Barcelona successful the aftermath of Rodri's damaging injury.

Defender John Stones is 30, arsenic are midfielders Bernardo Silva and Kovacic.

Measured by Opta stats, City's trademark strength and moving has dropped this season. It has declined from 113.26km per crippled past word to 109.6km successful this campaign, which is besides the lowest since their tally of successive titles started.

City person besides been regularly exposed being caught connected the counter-attack this season, facing 1.2 shots connected the interruption - by acold the astir nether Guardiola.

Jurgen Klopp called his Anfield rebuild 'Liverpool 2.0' arsenic Fabinho and Henderson were replaced arsenic the heartbeat by Wataru Endo, Alex Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, having failed successful moves for Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.

On Monday, Guardiola said again helium conscionable needed his injured players back, but has this mentation of Manchester City reached its ain '2.0'?

BBC Sport asked Paul McDonald of FootballTransfers.com to suggest wherever City mightiness find worth successful the January transportation market, utilizing their 'Estimated Transfer Value' measurement.

Forwards:

Jonathan David (ETV £28.9m)

The Lille striker could beryllium of interest. Once valued good implicit £50m, he's retired of declaration adjacent summertime truthful should beryllium disposable cheaply successful January. The Canada guardant has 4 Champions League goals from his archetypal 4 games, positive 7 goals successful Ligue 1. He tin play with oregon without Erling Haaland if Guardiola wanted to alteration style, and is simply a genuine extremity menace - thing City are earnestly lacking close present with their astir full reliance connected Haaland. Could they stock the load?

Omar Marmoush (ETV £18.8m)

The Egyptian is scoring goals and his worth has doubled since the commencement of the play - if helium keeps this up it volition treble again by the season's end. He tin play crossed the guardant line. He's expected to permission Eintracht Frankfurt this season, but - and it is simply a large but - he's 25 and this play is precise overmuch the objection successful his vocation truthful far. It's not peculiarly similar City to people what you would telephone 'flavour of the month' signings similar this, but this is besides a concern they person seldom been successful of late.

Liam Delap (ETV £27.5m)

The 21-year-old lone signed for Ipswich from City successful July connected a five-year declaration successful a woody worthy up to £20m. City are notoriously prudent astatine inserting clauses into income to guarantee they get sell-on worth and determination volition decidedly beryllium a buy-back clause successful the declaration too, though however overmuch it is, is hard to say.

Normally I would suggest Delap's illustration size of six goals successful 12 Premier League games would beryllium excessively tiny for City to determination to bring him backmost truthful soon, but it is simply a somewhat much hopeless concern than they are utilized to. He would fulfil a akin relation to David, successful that helium would beryllium a nonstop replacement for Haaland. But bash City adjacent privation to regenerate Haaland? Do they deliberation helium tin play each azygous game? Maybe their absorption is connected different areas.

Defenders:

Ousmane Diomande (ETV £7.9m)

The 20-year-old Ivorian astatine Sporting would adhd physicality, thing City person been lacking recently. He's won much than 70% of his aerial duels successful Portugal. City person been buying successful Portugal successful the past - Ruben Dias and Ederson – and determination mightiness beryllium an accidental successful January present that Ruben Amorim has left. Although Sporting ever bid monolithic fees, helium has little acquisition astatine a apical level, truthful portion helium volition apt beryllium much costly than his debased ETV, it could beryllium a woody they could get done.

Pedro Porro (ETV £29.7m)

The Tottenham defender, 25, mightiness beryllium a left-field enactment astatine right-back. City mightiness look to bring him backmost to the nine aft primitively signing him successful 2019. Porro tin play possession shot - helium does it for Spurs - and he's got Premier League experience. Has a reasonably agelong woody until 2028, but his illustration intelligibly fitted City earlier and he's lone gained much acquisition since leaving for Sporting successful 2022. But Tottenham volition not merchantability to a rival cheaply - this interest would apt beryllium excessively overmuch for City to judge for a subordinate they fto permission erstwhile before.

Midfield:

Carlos Baleba (ETV £19.7m)

The ETV of the latest Brighton midfielder disconnected their accumulation enactment is acceptable to emergence again importantly arsenic helium gains much acquisition astatine Premier League level.

The 20-year-old Cameroon subordinate is much of a shot bearer than idiosyncratic similar Rodri and 1 of City's issues has been his extortion of the backmost 4 being missing. But if City privation a beingness successful the mediate third, fixed however lacklustre they person looked, he's an option. Given Brighton's quality to extract worth positive City's urgency, they would apt request a interest good successful excess of our existent valuation. January's not a clip erstwhile deals similar this hap truthful I'd beryllium precise surprised.

Samuele Ricci (ETV £12.8m)

The Torino and Italy midfielder could capable the Rodri void and he's been linked with City successful the past. He's 23, he's got decent size to him and he's OK successful possession, though he'd request to standard up massively to acceptable successful with the Guardiola system. His declaration expires successful 18 months, hence his little value. He's besides ne'er competed successful Europe nor played for Italy. Is this excessively overmuch of a measurement up?

Martin Zubimendi (ETV £32.9m)

The astir apt midfield reinforcement would astir apt beryllium Real Sociedad's Zubimendi. Liverpool triggered his £51.5m merchandise clause successful the summertime lone for the 25-year-old to cull the move.

He's Rodri's replacement for Spain. Brilliant successful possession, tenacious without the shot excessively and would reconstruct immoderate equilibrium to the City midfield.

Who to avoid?

As Manchester United person discovered successful the past, being successful a presumption successful the marketplace wherever you are being reactive puts you connected the backmost foot, and perchance doing deals successful January is ever a breeding crushed to wage excessively overmuch for a incorrect fit.

As the January 2024 transportation model proved – with spending down £715m compared to 12 months antecedently - teams are progressively reluctant to bash large concern successful January. So immoderate of the lower-value players present - portion they would surely wage implicit the likelihood - mightiness beryllium much palatable than going large mid-season.