Manchester City 2024 summer transfer window review - greater depth, Haaland uncertainty & £123m question

At the start of this summer’s transfer window, Manchester City’s stance was clear, the club only planned to make significant signings if there were major outgoings.

It’s a sensible model for a club whose talented squad hasn't got much room for improvement - how do you better a team that has won four consecutive Premier League titles? And in such a volatile market, spending big sums this window always felt unwise.

For City, their solution was found by delving into the past. In the summer when Oasis reformed, the Blues no longer look back in anger at Ilkay Gundogan’s exit 14 months ago. He was the window’s Occam's razor, the obvious answer to a few nagging concerns.

Gundogan adds an extra option in the middle, can play more advanced and also provides cover for Rodri - even if City still don’t have a like-for-like replacement for the Spanish midfielder. But between Gundogan, Rico Lewis, Mateo Kovacic and Nico O’Reilly, there are plenty of viable solutions.

As for Gundogan’s signing, he also brings unquantifiable qualities: leadership, experience and an ability to perfectly understand Pep Guardiola’s methods. The latter, remarkably, also seems apt for City’s other summer signing.

Savinho has taken like a duck to water in Guadiola’s system and undeniably strengthens the team’s attacking options in the wide areas.

However, the same can’t be said in the central positions. The biggest concern from this window is that City will, until January at least, have to manage without a natural replacement for Erling Haaland.

That’s because Julian Alvarez opted to leave after just two trophy-laden years in Manchester, a deal that Guardiola admitted himself on deadline day took him somewhat by surprise. But a fee of up to £82m felt just too good to turn down in the current climate, even if the departure leaves them vulnerable.

City’s season could ultimately be defined by their decisions not to replace the Argentinian. How often can Haaland play? How will the team cope in his absence? And how easily can City switch between a striker-focused approach and a free-flowing no.9 system?

There were other exits other than Alvarez; Joao Cancelo and Sergio Gomez also left from Guardiola’s first-team squad, while Kalvin Phillips and Maximo Perrone were again sent out on loan. Liam Delap, Tommy Doyle, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Micah Hamiltion all moved on for a combined initial fee of £42m, a figure which could still rise.

The summer window also leaves City with two extra options compared to the squad that finished last season, with Alvarez and Gomez leaving but Gundogan, Savinho, O’Reilly and James McAtee all emerging as first-team options. That could be vital in this marathon campaign.

Crucially, Guardiola also seems to have inherited more players he can rely on, a category Gundogan and Savinho certainly fall into. But Lewis and Oscar Bobb have progressed since the end of last season and could have big roles to play in the coming months.

This is also the third summer in a row in which City will have posted major profits. The Premier League champions’ sold players for an initial £146m this summer, while spending just £23m. That’s a profit of £123m this window before a further £57m in possible add-ons.

The figures prove once again that City really are the best in the business and, when the time comes to replenish the squad, funds are undoubtedly available.

That time might be approaching sooner than fans may wish, especially if this is to be the final season of Guardiola’s glorious reign. City approached this summer with doubts about the futures of Ederson, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. That all three stayed is unquestionably a positive, even if it denied the club the opportunity to replace players in their 30s with younger additions.

The returning Gundogan will also be 34 by the end of the season, Kyle Walker a year his senior. While this should be viewed as a positive window, there’s a sense that City have kicked the can down the road on several big decisions.

There may also be concerns at how much stronger Arsenal’s squad looks this term, after pushing City to the final day in 2023/24. Riccardo Calafiori, Mikel Merino and Raheem Sterling bolster an already impressive group for Mikel Arteta as he aims to usurp the crown that seems almost custom-made for his old boss.

No-one doubts City’s capacity to outrun the Gunners again this season, but this summer’s window may have seen that gap narrow once again.