In a remarkable admission of regret, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has revealed he may have miscalculated by blocking the club's plans to strengthen the squad during the summer transfer window.
As City's performance dips and injuries pile up, the club is now actively pursuing new signings this January. The last time City made a significant winter transfer was in 2018 when they acquired Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao for £57m.
The club is already making moves to bolster their squad. They have reached an agreement for Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov, with a £33.6m transfer on the verge of completion. Additionally, Guardiola has set his sights on Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush and young Palmeiras defender Vitor Reis.
Meanwhile, veteran defender Kyle Walker has been granted permission to explore opportunities abroad.
Guardiola's candid reflection on his summer decision came ahead of Tuesday's Premier League fixture against Brentford. "In the summer the club thought about it and I said 'no, I don't want to make any signings'," he admitted. "I relied a lot on these guys and thought I can do it again. But after the injuries – wow - maybe we should have done it."
The impact of injuries has been devastating for the champions. City have plummeted to sixth in the Premier League and face an uphill battle in the Champions League, where they currently sit 22nd out of 36 teams, struggling to secure even a play-off spot. The most significant blow has been losing Ballon D'Or winner Rodri for the season.
According to Transfermarkt, City have suffered 15 injury-related absences lasting two weeks or more. The injury crisis continues with John Stones and Ruben Dias ruled out for the Brentford clash, while Kyle Walker's participation remains uncertain.
Reflecting on the squad's age profile, Guardiola noted: "We knew at the beginning of the season we will have a lot of players over 30. We knew sooner or later, we should do it. Step by step we had to change."
"But five or six months ago, they won the Premier League, four in a row, reached the FA Cup final and quarter-final of the Champions League. The amount of injuries we had, I didn't expect it."
