Does Early Transfers Make City Early Favourites?

The overhaul at The Etihad is very much in full swing as Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge of Manchester City has come to an end. The man who made managing in both Spain and Germany look incredibly easy has found the cut and thrust of the Premier League a somewhat different and more difficult beast.

A 3rd place finish although not a disaster due to still earning a place in the Champions League next season will not have been what the clubs Abu Dhabi owners had in mind when they hired Pep Guardiola to deliver not only a domestic title but also success among Europe’s elite.

Guardiola may well point to the fact that he had inherited someone else’s squad and perhaps did not have the players in which to be able to carry out his instructions, something which may well have a hint of truth about it but it looks like an excuse he will not be able to use should the same happen in 12 months time.

If this was not Guardiola’s squad then he has certainly gone about making it his with the exit door being shown to now fewer than five players. Pablo Zabaleta who has already linked up with West Ham was not given a new contract and the same was the case for Willy Caballero, Gael Clichy, Bacary Sagna and Jesus Navas.

With that quintet of players moved on it means that City will be undoubtedly be looking to spend this Summer and when it comes to this club it usually means spending big. They’ve already started that in earnest with the capture of Bernardo Silva from Monaco last week.

That was an outlay of £43m for the attacking midfielder and they also look set to shell out £33m for Benfica’s Ederson. The recent Portuguese League winner will be identified to finally solve the ongoing goalkeeper issue at Manchester City, something that the departed Caballero or the much maligned Claudio Bravo could solve last season.

In addition there is the long term courting of Kyle Walker which if they do complete that deal which is expected to take place during this transfer window then there expenditure will already be in excess of £100m with still more names still set to arrive.

Perhaps overhaul is what is required for the club, the squad has perhaps stagnated over the past few seasons as their league placings will show and that is something that neither Guardiola nor the Manchester City hierarchy will obviously stand for.

The change may be swift at City but in doing their business early it gives the manager more time in which to bed in new faces and get his ideas across, while in doing so it also gives them the edge of their nearest title rivals who are still looking to wrap up their business.

No sooner had the window opened than City were announcing the signing of Bernardo Silva of Monaco, it shows that they mean business both figuratively and literally and it also makes them the early favourites to win the Premier League next season.

This is a manager who is highly motivated not to have a trophyless campaign like last season bought around, interestingly enough the first time that has happened during Guardiola’s glittering career and that is not a feat he will want to repeat anytime soon.

With all the money that has and will be spent by City it does of course increase the pressure on Guardiola to deliver but I think this is where this club is slightly different to that of their nearest title rivals. The fact that the club owners courted Guardiola for so long perhaps gives him a bit more time to deliver silverware.

The City owners have to be careful not to cut their nose off to spite their face and if they were to get rid of the former Barcelona and Bayern boss due to a failure to win trophies then the queue of clubs looking to return Guardiola to employment would be an incredibly vast one.

Therefore although this season is perhaps win or bust for the Spaniard there is still going to be the additional pressure that the use of a transfer warchest will bring and you could make a case that it might be easier for City to deliver the title next season.

Champions Chelsea have that difficult situation of how to make subtle changes to a title winning team without ripping out its hearts, it needs to be evolution not revolution at Stamford Bridge in the Summer where the opposite can not only be said but looks like it will take place at The Etihad over the off season.