Although the summer transfer window has only been open for a little over a week, Manchester City has already been quite active.
Rayan Ait-Nouri, a left-back for Wolves, and Tijjani Reijnders, a midfielder for AC Milan, have both reached agreements. Additionally, they are optimistic about the completion of the acquisition of Rayan Cherki, a playmaker for Lyon.
City have made rapid progress in their efforts to reclaim their status as title contenders for the upcoming season, following a challenging 2024/25 season in which they failed to secure any silverware and relinquished their Premier League title.
Naturally, there have been numerous hypotheses as to why City experienced such a decline this season. Injuries undoubtedly contributed to the team’s decline, and several players are currently approaching the age of thirty.
But their transfer decisions from last summer have been subject to criticism, particularly in relation to certain players who were permitted to depart the club.
However, how did the players who departed City last summer perform in their new environments? Let us examine the matter.
Julian Alvarez
Erling Haaland scored 31 goals for City this season, while Phil Foden scored the next-highest number with 10.
Therefore, although the financial decision to transfer the Argentine international forward to Atletico Madrid for £82 million was logical, City’s goalscoring issues would raise questions about whether it was a footballing decision.
And this is further exacerbated by the fact that Alvarez scored 29 goals in all competitions during his inaugural season in the Spanish capital. Despite the fact that Atleti did not win any championships this season, the 25-year-old has already secured his position as the primary player of his new club.
Joao Cancelo After returning to Manchester City from a loan stint at Barcelona, Cancelo had already fallen out of favor and was expected to be transferred out last summer.
The Portugal international relocated to Saudi champions Al-Hilal and experienced an adequate season, contributing 11 assists and netting two goals as a full-back.
However, Al-Hilal forfeited their Saudi Pro League championship, suffered defeats in the semi-finals of the Asian Champions League and the quarter-finals of the Saudi Kings Cup.
Due to a muscle injury, Cancelo was unable to finish the season. However, he is expected to be able to participate in the upcoming Club World Cup under the guidance of Simone Inzaghi, the club’s new manager.
Sergio Gomez Gomez was unable to establish himself as a significant player at City, and following his country’s gold medal victory at the Olympic Games, he resolved to return to his native Spain and join Real Sociedad.
The 24-year-old experienced a robust campaign, transitioning from a left-back position at City to a left-wing position at San Sebastian, despite La Real’s collective struggles this season.
In October, Gomez earned his first match for Spain’s senior team and scored five goals and provided seven assists across all competitions.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis Bellis became a permanent member of Southampton last summer after assisting the Saints in their promotion from the Championship the previous season.
The former captain of the England under-21 team appeared in 34 matches during his inaugural season of regular football in the Premier League. Despite Southampton’s relegation, he was one of their most impressive players.
Tommy Doyle
Last summer, Doyle made his loan from Wolves permanent. However, he encountered significantly more difficulty in securing game time during his second season in the Black Country.
The 23-year-old participated in 24 matches in the Premier League, but he only started three of them. He has also fallen further out of favor since Vitor Pereira succeeded Gary O’Neil as manager.
The former England under-21 international has not appeared in any of Wolves’ last nine matches, and there is speculation that he may return to his former loan side Sheffield United this summer.
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