Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain - January 19, 2023. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
Manchester City are unlikely to make any more new signings before the end of the January transfer window, according to reports.
The Lowdown: After Perrone
The Premier League giants confirmed the arrival of Velez Sarsfield midfielder Maximo Perrone on Monday evening, with the 20-year-old putting pen to paper on a five-and-a-half-year contract.
The Argentinian is the only fresh face to have walked through the doors of the Etihad Stadium so far this month, with Pep Guardiola having admitted in December that his side’s winter business would likely be kept to a minimum.
The Blues, however, have recently been linked with a move for AC Milan forward Rafael Leao, with the report suggesting that Joao Cancelo could be offered in return for a swap deal, though that doesn’t appear to be the case.
The Latest: City’s transfer plan unveiled
According to Manchester Evening News, City have ‘no major first-team additions planned’, with Perrone’s £8.2m deal ‘likely to be the biggest’ that the club do this month.
The source states that some ‘outgoing loan deals in the academy’ could be sanctioned, but in terms of the senior team, Guardiola is set to ‘stick with the same squad’ he’s had for the first half of the 2022/23 campaign.
The Verdict: Correct decision
City are five points off current league leaders Arsenal in the table, and whilst the title may be out of reach if they can’t overcome the Gunners in their head-to-heads, the decision not to splash any more cash is the right one.
Erling Haaland has made a huge difference in the final third, scoring 25 of City’s 53 goals this season, so they definitely aren’t lacking any kind of prolific form.
The Sky Blues also don’t have any long-term injuries where replacements would need to be found and have sufficient squad depth available to them.
Captain Ilkay Gundogan will be out of contract at the end of the season, but identifying a successor for him should he not extend his stay is more a job for the summer.
Will Man City win the Premier League this season?
Yes
No
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