Top of the League, most goals scored and the best goal difference in the division, City have had a great first few months of the season.
But there’s a darker side to their progress this season too, as injuries to both recognised senior strikers in the side and also to a number of other key players have really made things tough for Manuel Pellegrini.
The Chilean spent well over the summer, bringing in Raheem Sterling and Kevin De Bruyne who have made City’s attack so frightening that it’s still rated 18 even without Aguero and Silva.
If City want to win the title they might need to invest in order to cope with injuries, but City have also had to contend with an ageing squad over the past few seasons.
Some summer additions as well as the promotion of some academy players have made that look like less of a problem, but Pellegrini might want to add a few more younger players into the first team to make it look like a team that’s going to stay together well into the future…
Faouzi Ghoulam
Injuries to Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov have left City a little light in the full-back positions so far this season. They’ve always managed to field two, but perhaps young full-back is what’s needed for Pellegrini – especially as all four of City’s first team full-backs are over the age of 30.
Ghoulam is an Algerian international who is rising into one of the best full-backs in Italy after his formation at French club St Etienne.
Ghoulam is pacey, has a good cross and an all-round great left foot.
Grzegorz Krychowiak
After Manchester City’s mature performance against Sevilla in the Champions League the other week, City are rumoured to be looking to their opponents in order to add steel to their side.
Over the last few weeks, Fernando and Fernandinho have been playing side by side in the City midfield, offering real solidity in front of the back four and releasing Yaya Toure of his defensive shackles.
But although Fernandinho looks like a top player these days, Fernando has never really hit a run of great form in the City side, and a move for an experienced and sought-after defensive midfielder like Krychowiak could make sense for Pellegrini.
The Polish international is tall and strong as well as having a great passing range. He’s been linked to Arsenal, but his recent contract extension at Sevilla raised his buy-out clause. The Spaniards know they can’t keep him forever, but they want to make sure they get a good price for him.
Youri Tielemans
If it’s promising midfielders Manuel Pellegrini wants, then he should look no further than Youri Tielemans. He’s been linked with City as well as a host of other clubs, and the fees touted are almost extreme for a player so young.
It’s always hard to tell with young players, are they going to turn into Zinedine Zidane or are they going to turn into Nick Barmby?
But Tielemans has great experience for someone so young, at 18 he’s already played over 100 times for Anderlecht and won Belgium’s young player of the year twice. He’s clearly a talent, and if City can secure his signature, he could be at the heart of City’s midfield for years to come.
Andrea Pirlo
It’s that time of the year again. That time when ‘past it’, ‘over the hill’ legends come back from the MLS to show us exactly what we’ve been missing.
Landon Donovan, Robbie Keane and Frank Lampard have all come to the Premier League on loan from MLS clubs over the past few seasons and left us wondering why they’re not still playing on the biggest stage of them all.
Pirlo is a different story though. He’s still playing for Italy and still targeting a place in the Euro 2016 squad, and if he’s playing regularly at the top level, I bet Antonio Conte would love to have him in the Italy squad.
Pirlo showed last season that his legs aren’t going yet, and in the Champions League semi final last season at the Bernabeu, Pirlo was second on the distance covered charts.
Pirlo may have poured cold water on the rumours for the moment, but with the Euros coming up, he might need a move back to Europe to be in contention for a place.
Pep Guardiola
It’s not like Manuel Pellegrini isn’t doing a great job at City, but if Pep is available it’s a no brainer, right?
Heralded as the best manager in the game, it’s not hard to see why. He’s won everything there is to win, even managing to win every trophy he entered in a glorious calendar year of 2008. His Barcelona side won everything.
Now with Bayern Munich things are going just as well, he’s already won everything there is to win with the Germans apart from the Champions League, and on the evidence of their performances so far this season they look on course to do it this year.
With City set up to target the Champions League as well as produce young talent from within, Guardiola looks like the man they should be targeting. He’s never been knocked out before the semi final of the Champions League as a manager.
He won’t be a ‘january signing’, but January might be the time to do the deal as Pep is allegedly giving a decision on his Bayern future in December. A deal for Pep in January would trump all other January signings!
