Potential transfer targets emerge for Guardiola’s wounded City

por Wosti -

For people who follow Premier League football, Manchester City’s demise has been quite remarkable to watch. A seemingly unstoppable force has now become a wounded beast, with City boss Pep Guardiola clearly struggling to turn things around during arguably the toughest spell of his managerial career to date. Reinforcements are clearly needed, though, with the former treble winners being linked with a number of talented players, be it during the January transfer window or in the summer when a substantial rebuild is more likely.

As things currently stand, Manchester City’s title hopes have all but vanished. This is certainly new territory for the club under Pep Guardiola, but they have a manager in place who will be desperate to remedy what has been a dire situation this season. Liverpool are the clear favourites for the league now, with the Citizens simply dropping too many points in recent times. Fans are confidently backing the likes of Mohamed Salah to finish top scorer in the league when it comes to football betting, Arne Slot’s tactical nous is being lauded on podcasts everywhere, and fantasy football managers are struggling to leave out Reds defenders given their resolute displays this season. It’s the total opposite at City, though.

Given the ageing squad Pep Guardiola is having to work with, plus the potential burnout many of his players are facing given their exploits over the last few seasons, Pep Guardiola has had to witness his troops fall firmly behind their rivals. The former Barcelona boss rarely stands still, though, and after committing his future to the club for another two years, the Spanish mastermind will surely be assessing a number of targets that will enable Manchester City to get back to their very best once again. In fact, it almost feels inevitable they’ll return to the top of the tree soon.

With rumours gathering pace and a wounded animal in Manchester City clearly being desperate to rectify a situation that no fan or pundit saw coming, below are some emerging transfer targets the clubs’ hierarchy could look to snap up in the next few transfer windows.

Abdukodir Khusanov

An emerging talent who joined RC Lens in July 2023 from Belarusian club Energetik BGU, Abdukodir Khusanov clearly has a bright future in the game. Given City’s alarmingly leaky defence this season, the bright 20-year-old could be a shrewd addition. Whether or not Manchester City are able to tempt him to the club this season remains to be seen, but the Uzbekistan international is a centre-back with an extremely high ceiling. With that in mind, Manchester City could easily make a move for Abdukodir Khusanov in the coming months. One thing’s for sure, Pep Guardiola’s solid defence of old certainly needs some fresh blood.

Ederson

A player with the same name as Manchester City’s world class goalkeeper, Atalanta’s Ederson is a defensive midfielder who is more than capable of filling the void left by Rodri. When the Spaniard returns, the pair could also form a solid double pivot in certain fixtures, with the Brazilian midfielder being more than capable of adding some further steel to a Manchester City engine room that clearly needs it. The 2023/24 Europa League winner is a hard worker, he loves to win his battles in midfield, and he has all the tools needed to become a key cog in City’s wheel in the future.

Omar Marmoush 

Erling Haaland’s goalscoring ability is clearly still there, although there is a strong argument to suggest that he can’t always do it on his own. As such, links to Omar Marmoush make a lot of sense. A forward who is currently lighting up German football, the Eintracht Frankfurt man is hot property right now. The Egyptian registered 37 goals and assists in the 2024 calendar year, piquing the interest of some of the world’s biggest clubs in the process. A versatile attacker who could play alongside Haaland or enable the Norwegian beast to have a well deserved break at times, Omar Marmoush to Manchester City could easily materialise in the near future.

Bruno Guimaraes

If the aforementioned Ederson is a deal Manchester City struggle to pull off, then a move for Bruno Guimaraes is another potential option for the club. The Newcastle United midfielder has been linked with Guardiola’s side for a while now, and while the Toon Army will be reluctant to let him go, a big-money offer from the Premier League champions will be tough to turn down given their financial issues. Bruno Guimaraes knows the competition, he is a consummate professional with an abundance of quality, and he would easily slot into Manchester City’s midfield. The former Lyon man could easily become a Citizen in the future, although he certainly wouldn’t come cheap.

Martin Zubimendi

Yet another defensive midfield player Manchester City are continually linked with, Martin Zubimendi is one of Real Sociedad’s star players. The Spanish international could replace his countryman Rodri in City’s midfield, although reports suggest the 25-year-old is keen to remain in Spain for now. Also linked with Barcelona and Liverpool in the past, Martin Zubimendi is one of the most sought-after players in European football at the moment. While it might seem like a tough transfer to pull off, Manchester City are one of the few clubs around who could do it. Given the hole Rodri’s injury has left in their midfield, the clubs’ hierarchy could go all out for a player who will surely jump at the chance to play under Pep Guardiola.

Other transfer targets for Manchester City include Frenkie de Jong (Barcelona), Aurelien Tchouameni (Real Madrid), Miguel Gutierrez (Girona), Ola Aina (Nottingham Forest), Juma Bah (Real Valladolid), and Nico Paz (Como).