Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that he may have erred in advising the club to forgo major signings last summer, as his team grapples with injuries and inconsistent form.
City, currently sixth in the Premier League, have struggled to maintain their usual dominance, finding themselves out of the EFL Cup and facing an uphill battle in the Champions League. Guardiola’s admission comes as the club prepares to reinforce its squad in the January transfer window.
“In the summer, the club thought about [signings] and I said, ‘no, I don’t want to make any signings,’” Guardiola revealed ahead of Tuesday’s match against Brentford. “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.”
City have been hit hard by injuries, with 15 players sidelined for at least two weeks this season, according to Transfermarkt. The most significant loss is Ballon d’Or winner Rodri, who is out for the season. Defenders John Stones and Ruben Dias are also unavailable for the Brentford clash, while veteran full-back Kyle Walker has been permitted to explore a move abroad.
The injury crisis has prompted Guardiola to rethink his transfer strategy. Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov is close to completing a £33.6 million move, while City are also targeting Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush and Palmeiras’ teenage defender Vitor Reis.
City’s last significant January signing was Aymeric Laporte, who arrived from Athletic Bilbao for £57 million in 2018. Guardiola hopes the new additions can help stabilize the team and address its current struggles.
“We knew at the beginning of the season we will have a lot of players over 30,” Guardiola admitted. “We knew sooner or later, we should do it. Step by step, we had to change.”
Reflecting on last season’s successes, Guardiola expressed frustration at the unexpected turn of events. “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.”
City fans will hope the mid-season reinforcements can reignite their campaign and salvage a season that has veered far from expectations. As Guardiola conceded, the decision to stick with an aging squad may have come at a high cost.
