The elimination of Manchester City in the round of 16 of the club World Cup against Al Hilal will remain as one of the most unexpected and disconcerting episodes of the Guardiola era. Beaten by an opponent certainly talented but largely outsider, the European champions seemed short of ideas, rhythm and intensity in a match where their technical superiority has never really weighed. This premature setback, in a competition that the club tackled with ambition, caused an internal and forced shock wave an accelerated reflection on the group's structure and dynamics. This disillusionment, beyond its symbolic significance, could prove structuring for the summer transfer window. If the sports management wishes to avoid a transitional season, it must adapt a workforce that has shown signs of mental and tactical breath. The priority will not necessarily be to recruit en masse, but rather to tighten the ranks, to refine the profiles and to relaunch certain young people. It is in this context, tinged with more than panic questioning, that Manchester City's approach is written for this transfer market.
Aware that an electroshock was necessary after a globally disappointing 2024-25 season – marked by a loss of the Premier League title, an elimination in quarters of the Champions League and therefore this humiliation in the World Cup of clubs -, Manchester City was quick to react on the market. The club quickly completed the arrivals of two French talents: Rayan Cherki, recruited to inject creativity and imbalance in offensive areas, and Rayan Aït -Nouri, a complete left side capable of bringing a new dynamic in a corridor which often lacked sharpness last season. These two recruits are part of a clear desire for regeneration, both technical and mental, to correct the excesses of an exercise where the Guardiola collective has never really found its balance.
The market is open!
The first strong trend that emerges on the City side this summer is the desire to keep the group's spine while digitally lightening it. John Stones, Ilkay Gündogan and Ederson have publicly reiterated their commitment to stay, a sign that the locker room closes at any major departure – important data while Pep Guardiola seeks to reduce the size of its workforce. Even Oscar Bobb, considered by the coach as a “new recruit” after a 2024-25 season spoiled by injuries, assured that he would finally explode. In parallel, the staff juggles the future of his young people: Claudio Echeverri, brilliant but still crossed out in attack, should go on loan to save playing time, while Nico O'reilly and Rico Lewis – both trained at the club and therefore precious for the rule of players “Homegrown” – could be kept as a versatile line, even if the arrival of Rayan Aïtri to the left Give for O'Reilly.
The priority project of the transfer window remains the post of right side, however. Guardiola praised Matheus Nunes adaptation to this hybrid role and knows how to count on Lewis in spare solution, but a high -level specialist would refine the balance of the team; The name of Tino Livramento circulates, despite the inflexibility of Newcastle. Everything will also depend on the fate of goalkeeper number 2: Stefan Ortega did not close the door to a departure and, if that is confirmed, City will look for a reliable replacement without status of holder. In terms of outings, the Gündogan case intrigues: the captain plans to stay a last season before, maybe, to join the staff in 2026. are also on the list of transfers Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker and James McATEE, while the young Vitor Reis, who arrived in January, should also be loaned to continue his progress. While competition activates strongly in the Premier League, City has no right to make mistakes this summer. The current adjustments will quickly have to bear fruit, especially since the coming season could be the last of Guardiola at the head of the project. More than just a transfer window, it is a strategic transition that the Skyblues are orchestrating.
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