Manchester City have yet to drop points in the Champions League and Premier League so far this season as we enter the first international break
Since the disappointing defeat to Arsenal in the Community Shield, Manchester City have been perfect. Enzo Maresca could not have wished for a much better start with seven wins on the bounce – including a gutsy ten-man victory over Manchester United, youngsters shining against Norwich and an eight-goal thriller at home to Sunderland, on Sunday.
There are many factors that have gone into Maresca’s brilliant start, but what has made it more impressive has been the fact that City oversaw a major squad overhaul in the summer. There was an exodus of stars post-Pep Guardiola, most of whom needed replacing.
As such, the transfer window went down to the final hours as City backed Maresca to rebuild the team. On the showing so far, the Italian head coach has done a brilliant job. With this in mind, MEN Sport has taken a look at the nine new signings this summer and given them a ranking from A to F. Spoiler alert, that F was not needed.
Geronimo Rulli – Marseille (£1.7m)
James Trafford’s exit to Leeds felt inevitable. City were frankly blessed with two No.1s last season and that was always going to change. This season, there is no doubting who the No.1 is and that’s probably preferable for all involved.
Rulli’s journey back to the Etihad Stadium is heartwarming, but his opportunities will likely be limited to the cups. As such, we have only seen him once so far, but he did nothing wrong in the 5-0 thrashing of Norwich.
Tougher tests await for him, including the next round of the Carabao Cup against Brighton. C
Pierce Charles – Sheffield Wednesday (£3m rising to potential £10m)
Another goalkeeper returning to City is Charles. The 21-year-old left the Blues for regular opportunities at Wednesday. But once they dropped into the third tier last season, it always seemed likely that he would leave Hillsborough.
Charles is a signing for the future and you could see a situation where he pushes Gianluigi Donnarumma, just like Trafford did. Upon signing for City, he was loaned to Championship side Queen’s Park Rangers where he is getting plenty of opportunities.
Rulli is contracted to City until 2028, so it may be a while before we see Charles playing at the Etihad. However, he is a promising addition. C
Jeremy Monga – Leicester City (£10m rising to potential £12.5m)
This signing feels a step up from Charles. At 17, Monga is a brilliant talent and signing him from under Arsenal’s noses made the deal even sweeter for Maresca.
We saw a glimpse of what he could do during pre-season and, for his age, he did well. Maresca made the right call to loan him to Swansea, particularly when you compare him to Ryan McAidoo.
Unfortunately, Monga has not played for the Swans yet, with their good start to the season forcing the teenager to wait for his chance. However, this feels like a good signing at what could be a bargain of a price, in the future. B
Mathys Detourbet – Troyes (£21.5m)
Like Charles, Detourbet was signed and then instantly sent on loan. The 19-year-old’s loan stint will be at AS Monaco and, unlike Monga, he has already gained some minutes off the bench for the principality club..
The teenager is clearly a player that City know a lot about and, truthfully, had Troyes not been an affiliate club, they would have likely spent more to sign him. By virtue of us not seeing any of him for City just yet, he gets the same ranks as Charles. C
Allan – Palmeiras (£32m rising to potential £34.2m)
Initially, I was going to give Allan a C. My first thought was about that first half against Norwich. It was a rude awakening to English football as Darlin Yongwa bullied him.
Full credit to Maresca though, he moved him to the left at half-time and, three minutes in, he scored a superb goal. It is too early to tell if he is an upgrade on Savinho and this season will be a case of adjusting him to the Premier League.
Considering Palmeiras wanted £85m and City got him for a fraction of that, this feels like good business. Let’s hope we see more good signs moving forward. B
Iliman Ndiaye – Everton (£60m rising to potential £65m)
The first of the big hitters is Ndiaye. We have all seen his quality for Everton and it was surprising the Toffees let him go so late in the window. But that says more about them, than the quality he possesses.
He hasn’t registered an assist for City yet, but should have, had it not been for Erling Haaland producing an uncharacteristic miss. Ndiaye deserves particular plaudits for his performance off the bench against United. The 26-year-old helped turn the game in City’s favour and he clearly has the presence to be a success.
We have no doubt the forward will produce plenty of goals and assists before the year is out. B+
Ayyoub Bouaddi – Lille (£85m)
It isn’t often you spend £85m and feel like you have snagged a bargain. But that’s exactly the case with Bouaddi. The fact he hasn’t started more games says a lot for the two remaining players on this list.
His display against Porto in the Champions League was very impressive. He dictated the match on his first start for the club and provides the luxury of a like-for-like replacement in midfield. City’s strength in depth is scary.
Plus, he’s only 18! It’s startling to think how good he could still become. A
Elliot Anderson – Nottingham Forest (£116m)
City knew they were getting a brilliant midfielder when they decided to splash the cash on Anderson. However, it feels like he has performed even better than many expected him to.
The World Cup experience has matured him and that’s just as well because, without Rodri, he needed to be the main guy. Nobody could replace Rodri, but Anderson has slotted in brilliantly and nobody has so far complained they are missing the Ballon d’Or winner.
That is a credit to Anderson and if he stays at City for as long as Rodri did, he will have been worth every penny. A
Enzo Fernandez – Chelsea (£125m)
This move split opinions on deadline day. There was no escaping his huge price tag and that came with its own pressure. Then there was the World Cup shenanigans that has seen boos follow him up and down the country.
However, he has channelled that energy to become the missing piece of Maresca’s puzzle. He can play across the central midfield roles with ease and he has added that bite to the team that all Premier League champions have, in some form or another.
‘He’s in your head’ is starting to drown out the boos and he could end up being the difference between City winning the Premier League and being runners up. A
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