Manchester City could find themselves being active in the upcoming January transfer market.
This was already hinted at when Pep Guardiola said a midfielder could be signed in January after Rodri suffered a season-ending injury back in September.
Since then, City have been linked with various midfielders ahead of the upcoming winter window.
In addition to that, it has been reported that City could sign a backup striker in January following the summer departure of Julian Alvarez.
With all of that in mind, someone who knows all about transfer deals has now discussed what the upcoming January window could look like for City and their Premier League rivals.
Manchester City Director of Football, Txiki Begiristain (centre) applauds during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers FC and M...
Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
David Ornstein previews Man City’s January transfer window
Appearing in a recent edition of The Athletic FC Podcast, David Ornstein discussed what City could look to do in the January transfer window and what impact they could have on their league rivals as a result.
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He said: “They wouldn’t choose to normally do business then. They plan around the summers, but they wouldn’t choose to be in the position that they’re in now.
“And again, I’m deferring to conversations that I have with people that move in the transfer market, whether it be executives, players, agents, you name it, sporting directors, and they have the feeling that if the market is going to kick off, it needs a Manchester City to make a move, whether it be for a Rodri deputy, maybe even another position, like a full-back.
“Their footballing need is quite high. And so it wouldn’t surprise you if they do. And then if they do, what knock-on effect does that have? Does it put money and liquidity in the market? So the club that they signed from will need to replace, and it has a domino effect.
“But secondly, and perhaps more pertinently, how do the others, their rivals, respond to that? Do Arsenal and Liverpool and Manchester United and Chelsea and Tottenham turn around and say, whoa, we better get our act together now?
“And there was something that we were thinking about, but it was more a summer move. Do we bring that forward to the winter? Or do we just unilaterally say, the plan we had tentatively for January, now we’re going to go full steam ahead because we’re in a battle with Manchester City for positions, and it creates a bit of an arms race?
“I think that will be an interesting plot or subplot for the winter market.”
What has Guardiola said about signing players in January?
In addition to his comments about signing a replacement for Rodri back in September, Guardiola discussed the January window more recently (via Manchester Evening News), saying this on what the current situation is in that respect.
“We’ll talk internally [about] what is the best in January. It depends on the position and the situation we are in at that moment.”
Manchester City Matches Won Drawn Lost Goals Scored Goals Conceded
Premier League 2024/25 14 8 2 4 25 19
Premier League 2023/24 14 9 3 2 36 16
Taking into account how City have scored fewer goals and conceded more than they had at this stage of the Premier League campaign last season, there’s an argument to be had that various areas of the Manchester club’s squad could do with strengthening in January.
Also, with Guardiola’s side currently nine points behind Liverpool in the league table, this further highlights their need to add some extra quality to their ranks in an effort to push them forward.
However, with Ornstein now suggesting that City’s potential activity in the transfer market could stir their league rivals into doing their own strengthening, this would surely make it a very interesting month of behind-the-scenes deals leading to a fascinating title race.
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