This summer, Manchester City signed Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, and Kalvin Phillips while releasing Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, and Aleks Zinchenko.
Whatever you want to say about Manchester City, they certainly don’t lack ambition.
The city has become a relentless winning machine in recent years, from signing the best players in the world to attracting the best manager in the world and attacking every competition they enter as if it were the most important.
But how can you maintain or improve once you’ve reached such a high level? Pep Guardiola frequently addresses this issue in interviews with the media, insisting that his team can always improve, which may explain why the Blues have signed three new players and released three.
The city has taken a risk by allowing such key players to leave this summer after losing their club captain, number seven, number nine, and number eleven. Three of the players have joined Premier League rivals, while Fernandinho has returned to Brazil. While there are valid arguments for allowing each player to leave, their collective departure may have a greater impact than any single player’s departure.
However, those departures, combined with impressive academy sales that have increased City’s incoming funds to over £200 million, demonstrate ambition, allowing the Blues to sign Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, and Kalvin Phillips.
City’s attack will be transformed by Haaland, while Alvarez could be a secret weapon and has already proven his worth running through the middle. Phillips, once fully recovered, will provide a new option in midfield and cover for Rodri.
The changes have been implemented in order to keep City’s squad motivated and refreshed, as well as to provide the missing piece of the jigsaw when it comes to winning the Champions League. Players and staff are optimistic about European success, insisting that it will come and acknowledging that luck plays a significant role in winning a European Cup, pointing to the consistency of reaching the latter stages in consecutive years.
Someone like Haaland could mean the difference between a disappointing exit and a scrappy victory, which is often what eventual winners have to show.
The recruitment also demonstrates an acceptance that Pep Guardiola will not be in charge indefinitely, even if he extends his stay beyond next summer. Phillips is under contract until 2028, while Haaland and Alvarez are under contract until 2027. Rodri and Riyad Mahrez’s contract extensions this summer increase City’s squad to 14 players beyond 2025, including current academy prospects like Liam Delap, James McAtee, and Josh Wilson-Esbrand.
Even if Guardiola signs a new contract, it is unlikely to be for more than two years, so the fact that City is preparing a squad for his replacement demonstrates a desire to keep the winning machine running regardless of who is in charge.
It gives City fans hope that the relentless trophy chase will continue for at least the next five years and that their ambition to conquer Europe and maintain domestic dominance shows no signs of abating.
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