Guardiola’s defining year? Manchester City prepare for title defense and plan transfers despite looming court case | Football News

Manchester City enter the new season aiming to win a fifth consecutive title and continue their Premier League dominance in what could be a decisive year for Guardiola.

The Manchester City manager’s future at the club is yet to be determined as he enters the final year of his contract and there is uncertainty off the pitch, with the Premier League’s court case against them on 115 charges being postponed until next month.

What is the club’s mood regarding the upcoming court case? What’s the latest news on Guardiola’s future? After depositing £82m for Julian Alvarez, what are their plans for the remainder of the transfer window? sky sports news Journalist Ben Ransom covers it all live ahead of the opener against Chelsea sky sports on Sunday.

Manchester City want Pep to stay, but future uncertain

There is no doubt that the club desperately wants Pep to stay. The board recognizes that not only do they have the best manager in the club’s history, but one of the best in the world.

City chairman Mubarak confirmed in the summer that he would hold further talks with Guardiola in an attempt to persuade him to sign another contract extension that would see him finish his ninth season at the Etihad.

However, Guardiola himself has admitted that he cannot stay at Manchester City forever and that at some point, he will wake up and decide that he either wants a break or takes on a new challenge.

At the end of last season, Pep told us all that he was “closer to leaving than staying” – and despite the pleasant ambiguity of that comment, when I asked him last week about his future plans, he Admit him that he hasn’t made up his mind yet.

He has ambitions to coach the national team and some at the FA will dream of him choosing to go to the World Cup with England rather than the more glamorous Brazil side.

What we know for sure is that if Guardiola does decide to leave at the end of the season, it won’t be a decision taken lightly.

Succession planning is underway

I remember talking to a Manchester City executive after Guardiola won his second Premier League title and he told me that even then they understood they couldn’t keep Guardiola forever and that they already had to. .

I’m sure the names in the framework in the summer of 2019 will be very different to those that might be considered now, but it does give us an idea of ​​the need for plans at the top of football clubs. coach.

City do not want any uncertainty to undermine an era of unprecedented success for the club.

City are said to want Guardiola to make a decision before Christmas so they can begin a careful search for a successor.

Even if he chooses to stay for another year (or two), it will only delay the inevitable decision the board must make.

Court case involving 115 charges

We learned this week that the case will finally go to trial next month, 18 months after the Premier League initially made 115 individual charges against City for alleged breaches of the competition’s financial rules.

It won’t be a quick process either, with submissions expected to last around 10 weeks as both City and the Premier League make lengthy representations before the independent committee.

After that, the committee will have to go away and consider all the evidence provided for each charge before making a decision, so we may not know their decision until the end of the 2024/25 season.

To be sure, all parties want to deal with these allegations once and for all.

City have vehemently denied any wrongdoing and hope to be exonerated through the process, but it has been a dark cloud hanging over the club since the German exit. Mirror Leaked emails and information alleging financial irregularities were released, which City have always said were obtained illegally.

UEFA’s investigation came and went without any substantial punishment for the club. A previous appeal against a two-year Champions League ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the club accepted a fine of 10 million euros, mainly for not Follow the rules.

It’s worth pointing out that many of the allegations did not appear in UEFA’s ruling, while the same was not true of the Premier League’s investigation.

Record-breaking Alvarez needs two signings after sale

Manchester City is not only the best team in the Premier League, but also the benchmark for player transactions.

They have already generated profits of around £130m this summer, with Alvarez joining Atletico Madrid for a club-record fee of £82m, which has given them a huge boost.

With Kalvin Phillips attracting interest from the Premier League and Joao Cancelo on the ‘transfer list’ after falling out of favor, more are expected by the end of the window Money comes in.

While City are very happy with their squad ahead of the new season, they are aiming to sign two players before the end of the month if they can find the right players.

Rodriguez played 4,326 minutes last season before winning the European Cup with Spain and a midfielder is also on the books to take over from Rodri.

His importance to the team was reflected in the fact that he played more minutes than any of his City team-mates last season, but by his own admission, he was tired as a result.

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With the departure of Alvarez, there is no suitable striker in the team to replace Haaland, so this is another position that City are looking to strengthen.

The challenge, however, is finding someone good enough to join the team and willing to sit on the bench as a backup most weeks. It reminds me of the difficulty Tottenham Hotspur had in finding a replacement for Harry Kane, who was a starter there at the time.

Guardiola told us last week that he hopes they can find players to fill both roles, but he was at pains to stress that City will only enter the market “at the right price”.

That’s easier said than done, as he admits their huge profits could actually become a stumbling block at the negotiating table as the selling club rolls out the “red carpet” for cash-rich buyers.

Ederson and De Bruyne stay put

City’s relaxed approach to summer recruitment could be very different if they have to plan for life without two of their most important senior players, but Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne are firmly in place .

Ederson was heavily pursued by at least two Saudi clubs this summer, but despite a move to the Middle East potentially offering a lucrative contract, the fee never came close to City’s valuation of him and a deal never progressed .

The Brazilian goalkeeper said he is committed to “spending more years at Manchester City” after speaking with people at the club, especially Guardiola.

De Bruyne is entering the final year of his contract but Guardiola has insisted the Belgian is not going anywhere this summer.

City in good form, Savinho brings excitement

Manchester City are once again the team to be beaten this season and it’s no surprise that bookmakers have them as favorites to win a fifth consecutive Premier League title.

Rodri and the England squad return this week after a long break following the Euro 2024 final, meaning they are fully fit, although Guardiola will use the first few weeks of the season to get the players up to speed.

In the interim, the likes of Oscar Bobb and Rico Lewis, who both impressed in pre-season in the United States and in the Community Shield win over Manchester United, can be relied upon to take their first-team opportunities .

Bobb’s emergence is particularly timely given the departure of Alvarez, with the young Norwegian given the opportunity to play a more prominent role in the first team as competition for places intensifies in the coming weeks.

Haaland is back fit and rested after a full summer break, so he will be aiming to start the new season on a strong note after scoring plenty of goals in pre-season.

The only negative from City’s perspective is the unfortunate injury to Jack Gollalli, who appears to have been using the European Cup defeat as motivation to force his way back into Guardiola’s first-choice side.

He has been showing signs of renewed desire and sharpness throughout pre-season, so finding himself out again will be a real blow.

Personally, I’m delighted to see what Guardiola does with Savinho, who served Girona last season as an old-fashioned left-footed left-winger to great effect.

Throughout his tenure, Pep tended to use inverted wingers who could cut inside and shoot with their stronger feet, but at Wembley Savinho resumed his role on the left and fired Haaland Putting in some dangerous crosses, Haaland is as traditional a target man as you can imagine.

It will be interesting to see if Pep creates a system with traditional wingers (perhaps Jeremy Doku occasionally playing on the right) or how much Savinho can do if he switches to the other side and is given permission to cut in from the wing It’s going to be fascinating.

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