Manchester City were found guilty by the Premier League of almost all the charges levied against them in the 115 case
Manchester City players huddle before the Premier League 2026/27 match between City and Sunderland at Etihad Stadium
Manchester City's players will return to action next weekend when they take on Liverpool at Anfield
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Manchester City’s battle with the Premier League over the guilty verdict in the 115 charges case shows no sign of slowing with the Blues having confirmed they will appeal the decision.
The Premier League released the core verdict this week which was highly critical of City in finding the club guilty of all financial charges against them and the vast majority of the other charges levied.
The decision accused City of inventing ‘sham’ contracts and overly inflating sponsorship money to the tune of £830m. City responded with a fiery statement of their own and the club maintain they are innocent of all charges.
There will now be an appeal, meaning the case will continue for at least a few more months and in all likelihood into next year and perhaps beyond, with City also having the right to appeal the sanctions decision and potentially take the case to the High Court.
The verdict leaves a huge cloud over the success of the past decade while also raises plenty of questions of the first team squad given they will have to face the music of opposition fans - starting with Liverpool next weekend - while the players will also be considering what might happen in the future given City could face relegation.
Such a scenario would surely lead to many players wanting to move on given their aspirations of playing at the highest level and competing for Premier League and Champions League titles.
And while predicting the outcome of this case remains nothing more than guesswork even off the back of the bombshell statements issued this week, City’s recruitment and retention approach in recent seasons means the Blues have created something of a squad safety net should the worst outcome transpire.
In revamping their squad over the past few seasons - the Blues have spent more than £1billion on players in the last three years - there has been a clear emphasis on young players or those approaching their prime.
City haven’t signed an outfield player over the age of 26 since Ilkay Gundogan returned on a free transfer in the summer of 2024 and haven’t paid a fee for an outfield player in that age bracket since the signing of Mateo Kovacic in 2023.
Almost 20 senior arrivals have joined since Gundogan’s return and the only two aged over 26 have been back up goalkeepers Marcus Bettinelli and Geronimo Rulli.
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In reshaping their squad City have ensured they have players who could be expected to fetch sizeable transfer fees, even in the event of a potential fire sale if City were demoted down the divisions.
The Blues have also been proactive with contracts. They have tied several players down to new deals in the past few months alone with Phil Foden, Josko Gvardiol, Jeremy Doku and Abdukodir Khusanov among those to have extended their deals.
Indeed, only Kovacic and Bettinelli are out of contract in the summer while Rulli and Matheus Nunes are the only senior stars whose deals expire in 2028.
That again strengthens City’s position should sales be required, while the Blues have also added a plethora of up and coming talent to their ranks in recent transfer windows with the likes of Jeremy Monga, Sverre Nypan, Matheus Detourbet and Vitor Reis among those signed for the future. That group of arrivals, supplemented by academy stars and other signings such as Pierce Charles, could provide City with a platform of talent should they end up in the Championship.
The club remain adamant in their innocence and it remains to be seen how this plays out over the coming weeks and months but City have manoeuvred themselves into a position that can perhaps offer a best case outcome to the worst case scenario.