Manchester City fans have heralded a new chapter in their club’s history for a short while now here in the Transfer Tavern, and are starting to get excited.

The blue half of Manchester is experiencing another new dawn under the helm of Pep Guardiola and this time, naturally, it promises the arrival of regular silverware and attractive, attacking football.

City cannot afford to take their foot off the gas this season and they certainly cannot afford any mistakes with the form Chelsea are in.

The City fans here by the bar are certainly behind their club’s pursuit of the game’s top trophies and in August, the consensus in the Transfer Tavern was that City would clinch another Premier League title.

After a strong start, with performances that lived up to the hype of Guardiola’s arrival many thought that they had been proven right, too.

However, they now sit third, behind fellow challengers Liverpool and seven points off leaders Chelsea.

Once serial spenders, City fans are beginning to realise that success cannot always be bought. Established winners know that dedication, effort and consistency are the fundamentals to success and City must show that they understand this before too long.

Time to get serious in January, then, are our landlord reckons the Citizens cannot afford to make these mistakes in January…

Let Gabriel Jesus block Kelechi Iheanacho’s progress

The young Brazilian forward is recognised as one of the game’s bright talents, and City fans in the Transfer Tavern are certainly excited to see him pull on the sky blue kit come January.

However, Iheanacho has consistently proven to be a top forward in his own right and considering how limited his time on the pitch has been, his return of six goals this season is impressive.

The Nigerian offers a genuine goal-scoring threat to complement his great athleticism and he has had a strong start to his Manchester City career – with fans in the Transfer Tavern wanting to see just how good he can become.

Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus needs time to adapt to the league and his teammates so City need to make sure he doesn’t impede on Iheanacho’s progression.

Sell important players

City have got some top players already and so they need to make sure they keep hold of them even if they are only third in the league right now. The likes of Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne simply cannot be replaced even with the massive fees they would command.

Pep would be foolish to let important players go in the middle of the season, at least until someone more to the manager’s liking can be trusted to come in and perform.

Spend over the odds

Ever since Manchester City were bought by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, clubs around the world were alerted that there was a new team in Manchester ready to disrupt the European game but with that, a club ready to spend big too.

There are a few positions that City will likely be looking to bolster this January but left back is surely the priority.

But with FFP rules having more impact than many thought, City must budget wisely and stick to their guns to avoid over-spending.

Agree, City fans? Let us know below!