Premier League
Manchester City: a $160 million crisis caused by one man
The signings of Khusanov, Reis and Marmoush should strengthen a team in crisis that continues to struggle without Rodri.

After a frugal summer transfer window in 2024, in which Manchester City’s only investment was signing Savinho for $26.26 million and bringing back Ilkay Gündogan on a free transfer, the club has gone all out in January 2025. In his final act as sporting director, Txiki Begiristain, along with the club’s management, has spent almost $160 million. And there’s more to come, with the official announcement of the controversial signing of 18-year-old Juma Bah from Real Valladolid and the much-anticipated replacement for Rodri Hernández, whose injury has sent City into an unexpected crisis, still pending.
Joining a star-studded squad that is at its lowest point since Pep Guardiola arrived at the Etihad Stadium are Omar Marmoush (25), Abdukodir Khusanov (20), and Vitor Reis (19). The Egyptian forward, formerly of Eintracht Frankfurt, has become the fourth most expensive signing in Manchester City’s history, costing the club $78.78 million plus an additional $5.25 million in variables.
Name | Transfer fee (M$) | Add-ons (M$) | From |
---|---|---|---|
Omar Marmoush | 78.78 | 5.25 | Eintracht Frankfurt |
Abdukodir Khusanov | 42.01 | 10.5 | Lens |
Vitor Reis | 36.76 | - | Palmeiras |
Juma Bah* | 6.3 | - | Real Valladolid |
*still to be completed
Although still short of the $273 million spent in the 2023-2024 season, the total expenditure for 2024-2025 has already surpassed that of the previous five seasons. You have to go back to the $333 million spent in 2017-2018 to find a comparable figure.

With Kyle Walker loaned to Milan and Juventus demanding over $73.5 million for highly sought-after right-back Andrea Cambiaso, the arrivals of Khusanov and Reis promise to bolster a defense that already includes Rúben Dias, Manuel Akanji, John Stones, Josko Gvardiol, and Nathan Aké. However, injuries have prevented these players from being regularly available to Guardiola.
City have also struggled offensively, especially after Julián Álvarez’s move to Atlético Madrid. Constant injuries suffered by Jack Grealish, the dip in Phil Foden’s performance, and inconsistent contributions from Savinho and Jérémy Doku have compounded the issue.
Pep Guardiola’s new “strongest eleven,” excluding long-term absentees like Rodri Hernández and Oscar Bobb and pending any last-minute additions, could look like this: Ederson in goal; Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol as right and left backs, respectively; Abdukodir Khusanov paired with Rúben Dias in central defense or Vitor Reis partnering with either Manuel Akanji or Nathan Aké; Mateo Kovacic, Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva, and Phil Foden sharing midfield duties; and up front, Omar Marmoush alongside Haaland.
Original article written by Pablo Montaño, translated with the assistance of AI and edited by Roddy Cons.