Here is a closer look at whether English Premier League side Manchester City's January transfer window was the sign of a rushed rebuild.
English Premier League side Manchester City recently had a busy January 2025 transfer window (which actually ran this year until 6 pm on February 3), and some say that it has shown signs of a rushed rebuild.
Let's dive in to find out if that's true and whether or not manager Pep Guardiola was right to spend over £200 million on new arrivals, making them one of the six biggest spenders in the transfer window.
Who did Manchester City sign in the latest transfer window?
Manchester City spent over £100 million on two players alone. The current reigning champions, who are fifth in the Premier League, reportedly spent a cool £59 million to bring in 26-year-old Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush on a four-and-a-half-year contract and a further £50 million on 23-year-old Spanish midfielder Nico González.
Manchester City also splashed the cash on several other new arrivals, including centre-back Juma Bah, right-winger Savinho, and centre-back Vitor Reis. They also secured the services of Ilkay Gündogan, who returned on a free transfer from Barcelona.
Why did Manchester City's transfer window seem frantic compared to Liverpool's?
Manchester City's transfer window was more hectic than usual, especially compared to Liverpool's, who had a net spend of just £4.16 million (Manchester City's reported NET spend was £84.80 million). The main reason for this is that they are currently floundering in fifth place in the league and 15 points behind league leaders Liverpool.
Manchester City have won the league four seasons in a row, which no other club has managed in the Premier League.
They have suffered a few injuries, and key players have also missed games due to illness, so they had to try anything they could to turn their season around before it's too late.
Not only will they want to finish the league at the top, but they will also want to try and finish in at least the top four to secure European football next year (preferably the UEFA Champions League, but they may have to settle for the UEFA Europa League or Europa League conference at this stage).
Can Manchester City really win the league, or is a top-four finish more realistic?
If you want to find out if Manchester City can win the league or at least finish in the top four, the best thing to do is view the latest odds for football betting on MCFC in South Africa on 10bet.co.za.
Here are the latest average odds for Manchester City to finish in the top 4, top 2 or at the top of the table at the end of the current 2024/25 campaign:
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Bet type: Manchester City to finish in the top 4. Odds: 1.10 (decimal), 1/10 (fractional). IPR (implied probability rate): 90.90%
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Bet type: Manchester City to finish in the top 2. Odds: 8.00 (decimal), 7/1 (fractional). IPR: 12.50%
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Bet type: Manchester City to win the league outright. Odds: 101.00 (decimal), 100/1 (fractional). IPR: 1.00
In other words, based on these highly competitive and accurate EPL betting odds, Manchester City don't stand a chance at winning the league for an unprecedented fifth consecutive season. A more realistic bet on Manchester City right now would be for them to finish in the top 4.
Don't forget that Manchester City are also still in the English FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League. They are currently only the sixth odds-on favourites to win the Champions League at around 11.00 (10/1), and they are the third odds-on favourites to win the FA Cup at around 4.00 (3/1).
Upcoming fixtures
Manchester City have played 24 league games so far, meaning they have just 14 games to go until the end of the season. They have won only 12 of their games, drawn 5, and lost 7, and in that time, they have scored 48 and conceded 35, giving them a +13 GD (goal difference).
On Tuesday, February 11, they are at home to La Liga side Real Madrid in the Champions League before returning for league action when they host Newcastle United on February 15.
Final thoughts
Although some may say that Manchester City's January 2025 transfer window looked like a rushed rebuild, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a team wanting to cement its legacy in such a way that only Manchester City can, and that is to win the English Premier League for the fifth year in a row.
If any other club suffered from injuries and illnesses as much as they have, and could spend that kind of money to ensure victory, most teams would probably do the same. We will just have to wait and see how well their transfers work out for them.
However, it's already not looking too good. New arrival Nico Gonzalez picked up an injury that forced him off after just 22 minutes into his debut!