Pep Guardiola's defining year? Man City preparing for title defence and planning transfers despite looming court case

14 August 2024, 10:29 | Updated: 14 August 2024, 15:30

Manchester City head into the new season aiming to continue their Premier League dominance with a fifth consecutive title in what may prove to be a defining year for Pep Guardiola.

The City manager's future at the club is undecided as he enters the final year of his contract and there is uncertainty off the pitch too, with their court case for the 115 charges levelled against them by the Premier League brought forward to next month.

What is the mood at the club around the impending court case? What is the latest on Guardiola's future? And what are their plans for the rest of the transfer window, having banked £82m for Julian Alvarez? Sky Sports News reporter Ben Ransom breaks it all down ahead of their opener against Chelsea, live on Sky Sports on Sunday.

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City want Pep stay but future uncertain

There's no doubt that the club would dearly love Pep to stay. The board recognises that they have not only the best manager in the club's history, but also one of the very best the world has ever seen.

City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak confirmed in the summer that he would be having further talks with Guardiola to try to convince him to sign another contract extension, one that would take him beyond a ninth season in charge at the Etihad.

However, there is also a recognition from Guardiola himself that he can't stay at City forever and at some point, he will wake up and decide that he either wants a break or a new challenge.

At the end of last season, Pep told us all that he was "closer to leaving than staying" - although that comment in itself has a delightful ambiguity to it, and when I quizzed him on his future plans last week, he admitted that he still has not made his mind up on what he wants to do.

He has ambitions of managing a national side, and there will be those at the FA who dream of him choosing a World Cup campaign with England rather than the potentially more glamourous allure of Brazil.

What we can be certain of is that if Guardiola does decide to move on at the end of the season, it will not be a decision taken lightly.

Succession plans in motion

I remember speaking to a City executive after the second of Guardiola's Premier League title wins, who told me that even at that point, there was an understanding they wouldn't be able to hold on to Guardiola forever, and that they were already having to think about his successor.

I'm certain the names in the frame back in the summer of 2019 would be very different to the ones that might be considered now, but it does give a little insight into the necessity for those at the top of the football club to plan for every eventuality, including replacing the manager they had built an empire for.

What City won't want is any room for uncertainty to derail the unprecedented era of success in which the club finds itself.

It's been said that City want a decision from Guardiola by Christmas so that they can begin the meticulous process of trying to find the person to take up the mantle.

Even if he chooses to stay for another year (or two), it still only delays the inevitable decision that the board will have to make.

Court case looming over 115 charges

We have found out this week that the case is finally going to commence next month, which will be 18 months after the Premier League initially hit City with 115 individual charges of allegedly breaching the competition's financial rules.

It's not going to be a quick process either, with submissions expected to last for around 10 weeks as both City and the Premier League make lengthy representations in front of the independent commission.

After that, the commission will have to go away and consider all of the evidence provided on each of the charges before reaching their decision, so we might not find out their decision until the end of the 2024/25 season.

What is certain is that there is a desire from all parties for the charges to be dealt with once and for all.

City have always strongly denied any wrongdoing and expect to be exonerated by the process but it's been the cloud hanging over the club ever since German outlet Der Spiegel published leaked emails and information alleging financial irregularity, emails which City have always said were obtained illegally.

UEFA's investigation came and went with little material punishment for the club, after an appeal against a two-year Champions League ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the club accepting a 10m euro fine largely for non-compliance.

It's worth pointing out that many of the accusations were time-barred from appearing in the UEFA ruling, which is not the case for the Premier League's investigation.

Two signings wanted after record Alvarez sale

City are not only the best team in the Premier League, they're also the benchmark when it comes to player trading.

This summer they have generated around £130m in profit - boosted hugely by the eye-watering, club-record £82m transfer fee taking Alvarez to Atletico Madrid.

There's expected to be even more money in the pot by the end of the window with Kalvin Phillips attracting Premier League interest, and Joao Cancelo very much on the 'transfer list' after falling out of favour.

While they are very happy with the shape of the squad ahead of the new season, City are targeting two signings before the end of the month if they can find the right players.

A central midfielder is on the shopping list to come in and take the load off Rodri, who played 4,326 minutes last season before heading off to win the Euros with Spain.

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

With Alvarez departing, there is no natural striker in the squad as back-up for Erling Haaland, so it's another position City are looking to reinforce.

However, the challenge is finding someone good enough to join the squad, and who is also happy to sit on the bench most weeks as an understudy. It reminds me of the difficulty Tottenham had in finding a back-up to Harry Kane when he was very much a guaranteed starter there.

Guardiola told us last week that he was hopeful they would be able to find players to fill those two roles, but was at pains to stress that City would only go into the market at "the right price".

It might be easier said than done, given his acknowledgement that their huge profits might actually become a hindrance at the negotiating table with selling clubs rolling out the "red carpet" for cash-rich buyers.

Ederson and De Bruyne staying put

City's relaxed approach to their summer recruitment might have been very different if they had to plan for life without two of their most important senior players, but Ederson and Kevin De Bruyne are firmly staying put.

Ederson was heavily courted by at least two Saudi clubs this summer, but despite a potentially lucrative contract on offer from a move to the Middle East, the transfer fee never came close to matching City's valuation of him and a deal never progressed.

The Brazilian goalkeeper said that after talks with people at the club, specifically Guardiola, he is committed to spending "more years at City."

De Bruyne is entering the final year of his contract but Guardiola has been consistent in his stance that the Belgian is going nowhere this summer.

City in good shape, Savinho brings excitement

City are once again the team to beat this season, and it's unsurprising that the bookmakers have them favourites to win a record fifth consecutive Premier League title.

The return this week of Rodri and the England contingent after their extended break following the Euro 2024 final means they are at full strength, even though Guardiola will use the opening weeks of the season to get those players back up to speed.

In the interim, the likes of Oscar Bobb and Rico Lewis can be relied upon to take their first-team chance after impressing in both the pre-season tour of the USA and also the Community Shield victory over Manchester United.

Bobb's emergence has been particularly timely given the departure of Alvarez, and the young Norwegian has the opportunity to stake a real claim for a more important role in the first team as the competition for places increases in the weeks to come.

Haaland is fit and rested after a complete summer break, so will be intent upon starting the season strongly after scoring plenty of goals in pre-season.

The only negative from a City perspective is the unfortunate injury to Jack Grealish, who had been seemingly using his Euros disappointment as motivation to force his way back into Guardiola's first-choice team.

He had been showing a renewed hunger and sharpness throughout pre-season, so to find himself again sidelined will have come as a real blow.

Personally, I'm excited to see what Guardiola does with Savinho, who played as an old-fashioned left-footed left-winger for Girona to great effect last season.

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

It'll be fascinating to see if Pep creates a system that encompasses traditional wingers (perhaps with Jeremy Doku playing on the right occasionally as well) or how effective Savinho can be if he's switched to the opposite flank and is given licence to cut in from the right and directly attack the goal with his left foot.

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