Pep Guardiola's side have sunk to unknown depths, but next month they can solve a problem or two in the transfer market
Jordan Belfort in 'The Wolf of Wall Street' urged his employees to deal with their problems by becoming rich. Manchester City, however, are already rich – now they must solve their many problems by spending their money in the January transfer window.
City have been reluctant to make big moves in the winter in the past, with Aymeric Laporte in 2018 being the only major signing they have made in the mid-season window during Pep Guardiola's nine years in charge. Just two weeks ago, the coach was ambivalent about new arrivals and said what he wanted most of all was for his many injured players to return, but he has since changed his tune amid a relentless run of injuries and has declared that City will be active when the transfer market opens on January 1.
Who can blame them? City's season was derailed when Rodri tore his knee ligaments in September, and since then the injuries have kept coming and results have spiralled out of control. Only Brentford currently have more players unavailable than City, who were missing eight first-team regulars for their 1-1 draw with Everton on Boxing Day.
The injuries go some way to explaining why Guardiola is in the worst run of results in his 17-year career as a manager, but the coach is also paying a price for insisting on having a small squad and a quiet summer in which the club brought in just two players despite only narrowly winning the Premier League title.
Even forgetting the injuries, City's squad is in desperate need of a refresh as they are edging towards failing to finish in the Premier League's top four for the first time since 2010, as well as staring at a potentially humiliating exit from the Champions League league phase.
GOAL, then, sets out the key areas City must address when the transfer window opens…
GettyPut Walker out of his misery
Kyle Walker has become the face of City's hapless season. He has looked well past his physical peak and is making rash decisions in almost every game. Walker staged a remarkable renaissance in the last two seasons after being written off by Guardiola, but his decline now seems irreversible.
A departure in the summer seems inevitable, but an exit in January would be favourable to all parties. There is reported interest in Walker from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli, where he could link up with former City team-mate Riyad Mahrez, as well as old Premier League adversaries Roberto Firmino and Ivan Toney.
Walker has expressed interest in returning to boyhood club Sheffield United, although that still seems like the last step he will take in his career rather than the next. Either way, City cannot afford to keep carrying him.
AdvertisementGetty Make a buck on Ederson
Ederson looked to be on his way out of City last summer before Guardiola pleaded with the goalkeeper to stay. He and the club's hierarchy might be regretting that decision, though, as the Brazilian has had another difficult campaign.
Concerns about Ederson's shot-stopping abilities are nothing new, but now they are no longer being masked by City's brilliant attacking play and his mistakes are costing them dear. He was dropped by Guardiola following a hat-trick of gaffes against Feyenoord and was not much better when he was recalled to the starting line-up against Juventus and for the Manchester Derby.
He has been injured since, his third absence within the last year, and at 31 his best days seem beyond him. City have a reliable back-up in Stefan Ortega, and although results have not drastically improved when the German has played, there has been no noticeable difference in the way City perform.
Last summer's interest in Ederson came from Saudi Arabia, and if there is another offer from the Pro League in January then City should take it.
AFPFind a Rodri back-up
City's biggest problem this season has been the void in midfield left by Rodri's season-ending injury, and if they want to make anything of this campaign they need to find a proper deputy for the Ballon d'Or-winning Spaniard. That is easier said than done because few players will want to join City knowing they will be first-choice holding midfielder for just five months, although the new arrival could slot in alongside Rodri next season as Mateo Kovacic has done.
Club sources have already ruled out moving for Martin Zubimendi or Bruno Guimaraes, but City continue to be linked with Atalanta midfielder Ederson. Guardiola's former charge Joshua Kimmich is another option as his contract runs out in June, as is his Bayern Munich team-mate Leon Goretzka, whose deal is up in 2026. Bayer Leverkusen's Ezequiel Palacios, key to last season's double win while remaining unbeaten, would also fit the bill.
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GettyReplace Alvarez
City did an incredible bit of business last summer when they sold Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for a fee rising to £82 million ($102m), an astonishing profit after signing the Argentine for just £14m two years previously. But their mistake was thinking they didn't need to spend that cash and could rely on Erling Haaland and Phil Foden for goals as they did last season while looking to Jeremy Doku and new signing Savinho for extra firepower.
While Alvarez has scored 12 goals this season and is helping lead Atletico Madrid's charge towards the Spanish title, City have had to rely on Haaland to a dangerously unhealthy extent. Their second-top scorer behind Haaland is Josko Gvardiol, who has four goals to the Norwegian's 13. Doku and Kevin De Bruyne have two league goals each, Foden has one, while Savinho is still yet to score for the club.
Claudio Echeverri, who is on a similar career path to Alvarez, is arriving in January from River Plate, but the 18-year-old cannot be expected to start very often at this stage and will likely spend next season on loan. So the club need a proven, mobile attacker who can back Haaland up and step in for him to give him the occasional rest.
Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz is the dream option, but he will cost in the region of £100m ($125m) and would be very hard to prise from Xabi Alonso's side in the middle of the season. Eintracht Frankfurt's Omar Marmoush, who has contributed to 20 Bundesliga goals this term, also cannot be ignored.