Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about what is to come for the rest of the season and in the summer.
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Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, gestures prior to the FA Cup Final match between Crystal Palace and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium
Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola is confident that the club will "take the decisions they have to take" in the summer to ensure Manchester City are ready for next season. Another big transfer window is expected as Kevin De Bruyne leaves and the Blues look to get back to challenging for major honours.
Guardiola blocked a rebuild last summer because he felt that the squad could still fight for trophies, but everything went wrong when an injury crisis hit at the end of October. City lost 15 of their next 30 games in all competitions to crash out of the League Cup and Champions League and effectively end their hopes of retaining the Premier League all by the middle of February.
Over £175m was spent as five players arrived after the January transfer window, although they have been used sparingly by Guardiola. Omar Marmoush is the only one to have started regularly and missed a penalty in the FA Cup Final defeat to Palace, a game where Claudio Echeverri was surprisingly included in the squad for the first time and then brought on for his debut.
City's defeat to Palace adds to the feeling that fresh blood is required in the summer, and the club are interested in Florian Wirtz, Morgan Gibbs-White and Tijjani Reijnders as they look to change up their midfield.
Guardiola believes the club know what they want, but he is more interested in securing Champions League football for next season as the Blues enter the final week of the season needing four points from games with Bournemouth and Fulham to ensure it.
As much as the club are looking to the long-term future, the next two games are needed before they can confirm their plans for the summer window.
"After nine years we have already rebuilt. You are not the same players as when you arrive," said Guardiola.
"I think the club has ideas and, from my point of view, now we have two massive important games for the short future for this club. After, we take a break, go to the Club World Cup and the club will take the decisions they have to take."
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