Having won six of the last seven Premier League titles, Manchester City have charitably allowed the league crown to end up elsewhere this season, amid what has been a drop in the usual lofty standards set by the imperious Pep Guardiola.
Finishing in the top four and claiming an FA Cup triumph would represent a more than adequate sticking plaster, however, with the Citizens having seemingly used this period to plan ahead for next term, after forking out for four new signings in January.
Equally, much to the terror of the rest of the division, the Etihad side have penned Erling Haaland down to a new nine-and-a-half-year deal, with the 24-year-old seemingly in it for the long-term despite the club's 2024/25 wobble.
Already boasting 118 goals in just 136 games for the Citizens, the Norwegian goal machine appears in line to continue breaking records galore, with it looking almost inevitable that he will eclipse Sergio Aguero as the club's all-time top scorer.
How Haaland compares to Man City's Premier League heroes
Still yet to finish his third full season in English football, the former Borussia Dortmund has already registered an eye-watering tally of 83 goals from just 93 top-flight outings.
On his current trajectory, the one-time Molde superstar will fancy his chances of bettering the record set by that man Aguero, with the prolific Argentine finishing on 184 Premier League goals, and 260 in total for the club.
At present, only Aguero and Raheem Sterling are ahead of Haaland with regard to goals scored by City players in the Premier League era, with the Englishman scoring 91 times in the division during his seven-year stint at the Etihad. Kevin De Bruyne, meanwhile, lies in fourth, on 70 league goals for the club.
Other MCI
Among the top ten also rests current first-team star, Phil Foden, on 61 goals, with the England playmaker sandwiched between two greats of the modern era, in the form of Yaya Toure and David Silva.
It may also not come as a surprise to see Gabriel Jesus and Carlos Tevez both featured, as while neither figure was the main man in their respective eras, they did contribute effectively as part of fearsome City forward lines.
Man City's top PL goalscorers
Player
Sergio Aguero
Raheem Sterling
Erling Haaland
Kevin De Bruyne
Yaya Toure
Phil Foden
David Silva
Carlos Tevez
Gabriel Jesus
Edin Dzeko
Figures via 11v11
The same can also be said of another undoubted unsung hero, Edin Dzeko, with the Bosnian icon still delivering the goods years on from leaving Manchester...
Man City already sold their original Haaland
Adapting to life in the Premier League after leaving the Bundesliga is rarely plain sailing, just ask Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Jadon Sancho, among others.
Haaland, however, has made the transition with ease, having simply picked up where he left off in Dortmund, after netting 86 goals in just 89 games during a thunderous stint in Germany.
The 6 foot 4 menace has then followed in the footsteps of the aforementioned Dzeko, with the now-veteran striker having been the original Haaland in some sense, after leaving Wolfsburg - for whom he scored 85 goals in 142 games - to join City in January 2011.
Dzeko-in-article-stats
Like the Norwegian has found, continuing that goal-scoring streak in England came relatively easy for Dzeko, with the £27m striker reaching double figures for league goals in three of his four full seasons for the club.
While Aguero may have been the undoubted attacking talisman, the Sarajevo-born striker was a more than adequate support act, having been the man to draw City level on that famous day against Queens Park Rangers.
After being restricted to a particularly minimal role in his final season at the club, where he netted just four league goals, Dzeko was sold on to Roma for just £11m - including a loan fee - in 2016, after spending the previous campaign on loan at the Stadio Olimpico.
To his credit, the reliable marksman has been a hit wherever he has been since then, adding to his 72-goal haul at City by netting 119 times in Rome, before scoring 34 times for Serie A rivals, Inter.
edin-dzeko
Now on the books at Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce, the 38-year-old is still going strong after chalking up 61 goal involvements in just 87 games for the Turkish side, a tally that includes a return of 19 goals in all competitions in 2024/25.
To put that into context, only Haaland betters that tally back at the Etihad, with Phil Foden in second with ten goals, while Jeremy Doku - and James McAtee - lie in third with six goals apiece.
Where are they now
Where Are They Now
Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast's Where Are They Now series.
Not that City have been necessarily stung by allowing Dzeko to depart, but having seen his goalscoring exploits continue elsewhere, perhaps they could have utilised their 'original Haaland' more consistently.
Thankfully, the real thing looks to be sticking around for the foreseeable...
Rodri celebrates scoring for Manchester City. Related
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