Manchester City didn’t need to do all that much this summer, nor did they really want to. Having accumulated a record breaking 100 points last season, in a campaign that saw them effectively win the title way back in mid December when they won the first Manchester Derby, this club was a lot like playing Black Jack and having 18 or 19.
Add to this extremely winning hand a former PFA Player of the Year in Riyad Mahrez, who was acquired for significantly less than what Leicester City wanted in January, and you have to be all smiles if you’re a City supporter right now.
We have now passed the deadline for which Premier League clubs are allowed to buy players. They can still sell players, abroad only, until August 31 as no other league has adopted the earlier deadline.
Manchester City season preview: go to this link
Major Manchester City Additions:
Philippe Sandler – PEC Zwolle – £2.25m, Riyad Mahrez – Leicester – £60m, Claudio Gomes – Paris Saint-Germain – Free
Mahrez was the only major addition, but wow what a value add he is. He can add yet another dimension for opposing defenses to worry about as they game plan. Losing out on Jorginho, who moved to Chelsea with Maurizio Sarri was tough, but Guardiola does have other options at that slot.
Major Manchester City Subtractions:
Pablo Maffeo – Stuttgart – £9m, Yaya Toure (released), Angelino – PSV – $7m, Joe Hart – Burnley – £3.5m, Angus Gunn – Southampton – £10m, Paolo Fernandes NAC Breda – Loan, Jack Harrison – Leeds – Loan, Bersant Celina – Swansea – Up to $5m
Analysis:
When you are coming off a season which saw you set Premier League records for points, wins, goals, goal differential and title-winning margin, then you don’t have to do much at all. You could have Tottenham’s dull, pointless transfer window and yet still feel confident about the season.
Of course, the current regime at the Etihad would never do anything even remotely close to that, as they have been the league’s biggest transfer market spenders the past couple of years.
Immediate, Knee Jerk Reaction Grade (True, Authentic Grades Can Only Be Earned Over Time): B
It was a solid, but not spectacular summer transfer window. City didn’t have the hugest of ambitions for the window, but they did, more or less, accomplish what they set out to do. They have been England’s biggest spenders in the past few years, and given what they achieved last term, where do they go from here?
Well, they still haven’t achieved a deep run in Champions League yet, and a title win in May would mean an end to the 9 year Premier League repeat champion drought. Manchester City certainly has a squad with enough talent and depth to achieve such things.
Transfer Window Grades Links:
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, is currently a regular contributor to SB Nation, WGN CLTV and Chicago Now.
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