Manchester City completed a major squad overhaul, refreshing their midfield and spending a record £458 million during the summer transfer window. However, this astronomical figure masks a much deeper transformation.
New head coach Enzo Maresca, who took over from Pep Guardiola, has been given the utmost trust and support from director of football Hugo Vieira in his first transfer window. Within a single summer, the club's transfer record was broken twice.
On deadline day, City equalled the British transfer record, paying Chelsea £125 million for Argentine Enzo Fernandez, who previously played under Maresca in London. Earlier, the club secured the signing of Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for £116 million, alongside 18-year-old Moroccan international Ayoub Bouaddi from Lille for £86 million. This trio of midfielders, totalling £327 million, forms the backbone of this summer's signings.
The departures of former captain Bernardo Silva, Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders, and Nico Gonzalez marked the end of an era and a complete renewal of the midfield. The club hierarchy has expressed genuine satisfaction with both the summer campaign and their work in January, having already closed in on long-term transfer targets Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi.
In fact, the global reconstruction of the team that won the Champions League in 2023 began as far back as January 2025, following a heavy crisis. Today, out of the starting XI and substitutes who triumphed over Inter Milan in Istanbul, only four players remain at the club. Maresca now has at least two top-class players for every position, with the club confident that the current squad is stronger than last year's, a feat accomplished through calmness and thoughtful strategy.
Nevertheless, two pressing questions loom over the team: how to seamlessly integrate all the new midfield signings and whether they have left themselves without a direct replacement for Erling Haaland?
Transfer dilemma and player sales balance
Manchester City's total expenditure on new signings since the start of 2026 has soared to an impressive £542 million, but the club has also demonstrated an outstanding ability to sell off reserve players. During the same period, the Citizens recouped £334 million: they sold Savinho to Tottenham Hotspur for £75 million (despite the Brazilian netting just two goals in the Premier League during his time in Manchester), raised £65 million for Rodri, and £52 million for Reijnders. Thus, net spending in 2026 totalled £208 million, with an expected future boost of £60 million through the mandatory purchase of Omar Marmush by Spurs after his loan spell ends.
The club adhered strictly to the 'one in, one out' principle, replacing almost every outgoing player except for Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmush. Due to an excess of players on the left flank of defence, Nico O'Reilly is likely to be used more frequently in his natural position in central midfield, covering for the loss of Gonzalez. The acquisition of Fernandez is justified by bringing in an experienced elite-level winner, Anderson was the club's number one summer target, and Bouaddi is seen as a potential future star.
Tactical analysis: how will Enzo Maresca deploy the midfield?
Fernandez, Bouaddi, and Anderson are versatile enough to cover multiple positions. In the early fixtures, Maresca has alternated between two key formations in midfield: the 'Box' with two holding midfielders and a 'Diamond' with one anchor at the base.
1. Tactical setup against Bournemouth: Box shape in midfield
In the match against Bournemouth, Marc Guehi partnered with Elliot Anderson at the base of the midfield, while an advanced Nico O'Reilly combined with right-back Rico Lewis, who moved into central areas to form a solid box:
2. Tactical setup against Crystal Palace: Diamond shape in midfield
In the game against Crystal Palace, Elliot Anderson took on a more static position as the lone anchor at the base of the diamond, while left-back Josko Gvardiol and midfielder Nico O'Reilly operated from the flanks of attacking 'ten' Ryan Cherki:
Anderson's role at the anchor spot highlights that Maresca sees him as a successor to Rodri. Young Bouaddi is expected to back up Anderson. In the match against Crystal Palace, both Bouaddi and Mateo Kovacic came on as substitutes, showcasing a flexible positional switch: in deep build-up, Bouaddi would drop deeper into the holding role while Kovacic would push up as the right central midfielder, easily swapping roles without sacrificing team structure.
Fernandez under Maresca is capable of operating both deep and closer to the attack. Phil Foden and Cherki will vie for the 'ten' position, with both players likely to appear on the pitch together over the season.
The chief risk: lack of backup for Erling Haaland
Despite the positive closing of deals, 26-year-old Erling Haaland remains the only pure striker available to the first team. The Norwegian is irreplaceable: last season, he was the Premier League’s top scorer with 27 goals and has opened the new season with two strikes in two games.
However, in the event of injury or suspension for the prolific forward, the coach's options could become severely limited. Omar Marmush, who sought regular playing time, has moved to Tottenham, while 21-year-old Divin Mubama has gone out on loan to Southampton. The hierarchy believes that the versatility of other players will allow them to cope without directly purchasing a striker:
- Antoine Semenyo often attacks from the right, but has experience playing as a ‘nine’ in cup competitions;
- Deadline day signing Iliman Ndiaye (£60 million) is capable of covering the central striking area;
- Phil Foden can be deployed as a false nine.
Nevertheless, of the entire attacking group, only Semenyo has scored double figures in the Premier League in the last two seasons. Neither Cherki, Jeremy Doku, nor Ndiaye have ever hit double digits for a campaign, and Foden has seen a dip in his scoring following 19 goals in the 2023/24 season. Should the Norwegian superstar go down, the lack of a specialist striker could deal a fatal blow to Manchester City’s title aspirations.
