Manchester City are already great, but can they improve after a dream summer transfer window?
City will refresh their squad this summer
Despite all the talk about Manchester City's difficulties this season and how Erling Haaland has made them worse, the Blues were still able to win a historic treble at the last minute.
It shows just how high the standards are for City after so much dominance over the past five years that even a slight lull in the interrupted campaign at the World Cup would be seen as a major disaster in a game. quarter number. Beyond the December tournament, what is often forgotten are the major changes Pep Guardiola made to his squad last summer.
Fernandinho, Raheem Sterling, Aleks Zinchenko and Gabriel Jesus, four players who played a huge part in the club's success, all left as Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Kalvin Phillips and Manuel Akanji took their place. That's a lot of experience to lose and a lot of drastic changes in a window, especially since Haaland's arrival has fundamentally changed the way City play.
Fortunately, after such a big summer last year, 2023 is likely to be a summer of gradual evolution instead of outright evolution. That certainly bodes well for next season as they are doing very well despite the complications they face.
One position that should be given the highest priority is midfield. Ilkay Gundogan is 32 and has yet to sign a new contract with his current contract set to expire this summer, Kevin De Bruyne will be 31 at the start of next season, Bernardo Silva has wanted to go to mainland Europe for many years. years and Phillips hasn't done much since he moved. While a dream transfer window would certainly see Gundogan and Bernardo stay, in the middle of the park still needs fresh blood and there's no better option than Jude Bellingham. Like the signing of Haaland from Borussia Dortmund, it's a deal that seems to make too much sense.
He was already one of the best midfielders in the world as a teenager and will further improve under Guardiola's tutelage, he has all the qualities to dominate the Blues' midfield. for at least the next decade and one of his Dortmund buddies is club-ready. It will cost a lot of money, but it will be worth every penny.
How City can handle a dream transfer window With no longer a need for strikers, the only other area that needs attention this summer is the defence. Left-back remains an unfamiliar position at the club. Joao Cancelo ultimately seemed fit for the role, but he was dropped at Bayern Munich after becoming frustrated at not being able to play after being overwhelmed by Nathan Ake.
Things are not going well in Germany so he could return to the squad next season, but Guardiola may eventually want to add a natural left-back to his ranks. Chelsea's Ben Chilwell has been contacted and although it seems unlikely he will be able to hold the ball for the role. A new centre-back could also be a good fit. Aymeric Laporte has found some high starts this year and there have been rumors that he could be looking to leave, as Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain are linked. If the Blues lose a very important player, they will have to look for a quality replacement and RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol could be the perfect signing.
RB Leipzig are optimistic they won't let him go for less than £100m,
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