City’s rebuild a long way from being done deal
SHORTENED TRANSFER WINDOW WILL HAVE BIG IMPACT AND DRASTICALLY REDUCE TIME TO GET SIGNINGS MADE
IT was already shaping up to be a busy summer for City. A squad that looked unbreachable a year ago has begun to look vulnerable at times this season and it was looking like the axe was going to fall on some players.
A rebuild might have been overstating the extent of the work Pep
Guardiola and Txiki Begiristain were looking to do, but it was certainly going to be an upgrade on the minimal changes to the squad that have occurred since the splurge in the summer of 2017.
Joao Cancelo, Nicolas Otamendi, John Stones, Benjamin Mendy, Riyad Mahrez and Gabriel Jesus have all been linked with moves away from City, with David Silva ending his decade of service too and Bayern Munich expected to come back in for Leroy Sane.
It was expected Guardiola would be in the market for at least one new centre-back, a left-back, a midfielder and reinforcements in attack.
But those plans, like so much in football, are now up in the air.
Nobody knows when the game will resume, if or when this season will finish, when next season will begin and how the summer transfer window is going to fit in around all of this.
UEFA’s expressed desire to get the season done by June 30 is because that date is something of a line in the sand in the game, with contracts expiring at the end of that month. For example, Silva will no longer be contracted to City on July 1.
The governing body made it clear that the line in the sand could move, that the desire to end the season by that date was dependent on the coronavirus pandemic sweeping Europe.
But if the season is pushed back, to July, August and perhaps even further, it raises questions yet to be answered around contracts and transfer business.
Presuming clubs are allowed to offer short-term deals, then City would be in a fairly comfortable position with Silva, who would presumably want to see this campaign through and remain an integral part of Guardiola’s squad.
But a significantly shortened transfer window, between the conclusion of this season and the start of the next, could have an impact on all clubs, drastically reducing the time available to get deals done.
That might mean clubs have to change their priorities.
Suddenly, City might not be able to make the changes they want to their squad.
They would have to be cautious over who they let leave, given
replacements would be required.
Stones’ long-term future at the Etihad has to remain in doubt given his fall from grace this season, but Otamendi would appear to be the more likely departure at the back.
Signing a central defender surely has to be City’s top priority this summer as well. They’ve been punished for that failure last year and, while the injury to Aymeric Laporte was unfortunate, they can’t go into next season undermanned in that area again, especially as Fernandinho will be 35 in May.
City have to sign a world-class central defender to partner Laporte, using Fernandinho as cover. It’s the one deal that could have significantly changed the course of this season.
After that an attacking player may be the next priority, especially if Sane does move back to the Bundesliga. Guardiola has had some success playing Gabriel Jesus on the left recently, but that would leave City short of another striker to back up Sergio Aguero. The situation would be further complicated given Phil Foden has been used on the right wing at times recently, but is expected to be used in central midfield for much of next season when he inherits Silva’s role.
That could force Guardiola to look for more cover across his attack, even if a reduced transfer window might mean fewer options, with clubs reluctant to leave themselves short and chasing deals of their own in a shortened space of time.
To that end, City would like Sane’s future resolved in plenty of time. It still remains unclear where his future lies, but if the transfer window is reduced as a result of the calendar shake-up that is inevitably coming, then the Blues will want to know what they need to do before it begins, rather than having any unexpected surprises coming their way.