The Manchester City fans in the Transfer Tavern continue to be mesmerised by their team’s brilliance so far this season.

Pep Guardiola is steering City towards one of, if not the most domineering title-winning seasons in Premier League history. All of Guardiola’s experimenting with team-selections and formations last season that was so widely criticised by fans across the country looks to have paid off. Plenty of the same football fans who slated Guardiola for his bizarre tactical choices referred to City’s manager as ‘fraudiola’ throughout last season, but those taunts feel like a distant memory in the current landscape of the English top-flight.

City’s dealings in the transfer window last summer gave the club a real platform from which to build upon as they waved goodbye to plenty of players who were no longer deemed good enough to match Guardiola’s ambitions and they welcomed a handful of quality players to the Etihad.

However, despite City’s summer spending, they will certainly be looking to bring in further talent in the January window next month due to their injury problems in defence.

City managed to land the impressive Benjamin Mendy from Monaco for a whopping £52 million in the summer, but unfortunately the 23-year-old was injured in only his 5th appearance for the club against Crystal Palace.

Consequently, Fabian Delph has stood in at left-back in Mendy’s absence, but this pragmatic approach only represents a short-term solution to the problem, so City should invest in a left-back in January to support Delph whilst he deputises for Mendy.

And considering City can no longer rely on their captain Vincent Kompany to stay fit for any extended period of time, they will need to sign another central defender in January.

With that being said, here are two defenders City should pursue in January to make them an invincible form in the Premier League.

Alex Sandro

Juventus left-back Alex Sandro is one of the world’s most talented marauding left-backs.

Sandro perfectly fits the mould of Guardiola’s free-flowing philosophy, and he should have no problem adapting to the demands of the Premier League and slotting into City’s talented squad with ease.

It could prove difficult for Guardiola to manage the egos and expectations of both Mendy and Sandro within the same squad, but City will need two quality players in each position if they wish to compete for silverware on four-fronts.

There are very few better left-backs in Europe, so City should pursue the Brazilian’s signature even if The Old Lady are reluctant to sell him in January.

Mattia Caldara

With Vincent Kompany’s time at City looking destined to come to an end in the very near future, the club need to start preparing for the future without him.

City’s priority should be to sign a young centre-back bursting with potential who fits Guardiola’s philosophy and Caldara fits the bill.

The Italian 23-year-old is currently playing his trade in Seria A at Atalanta on loan from Juventus, and he has gained plenty of admirers for his performances so far.

If City want to continue to extend their dominance in the Premier League, they should sign this young prospect who could become a long-term replacement for Vincent Kompany.