How could Man City look after January signings?

Manchester City have used the transfer market this month to avoid their worst season since 2008-09, when their Abu Dhabi owners took control of them.

Earlier this month, boss Pep Guardiola said: “In the summer the club thought about it and I said ‘ no, I don’t want to make any signings’.

I had a lot of faith in these guys, and I believed I could do it again.

“But wow, maybe we should have done it after the injuries.”

This month, City, who are fifth in the Premier League, have already signed three players for a combined sum of £123 million.

They are Eintracht Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush, Palmeiras defender Vitor Reis and Lens centre-back Abdukodir Khusanov.

Additionally, they are interested in Real Valladolid defender Juma Bah and Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiaso.

Since signing Aymeric Laporte for £57 million in January 2018, City hasn’t made a significant move.

Omar Marmoush from Egypt is the standout signing so far.

Harry Kane, a Bayern Munich player, is the second-best scorer in the Bundesliga this season, with 15 goals in 17 games for Frankfurt. With nine assists, he is at the top of the German assist charts.

Marmoush can play anywhere along the front line, which is quick.

He scored 17 goals in all competitions last season for Frankfurt as a lone striker, and he has started in the front two this season.

“He is really dynamic, a wide forward who can play through the middle”, said German football expert Raphael Honigstein.

“Some people have compared him to Mohamed Salah, but he may not be as difficult or explosive as Mohamed Salah,” he said.

But City will he play there? Erling Haaland has scored 23 goals and is expected to finish at the top nine in his class, despite not having a stellar season by his standards.

After his summer departure from Atletico Madrid, City failed to properly replace Julian Alvarez.

Alvarez used to play elsewhere as a substitute for Haaland and occasionally as a striker.

Right now, it seems like Marmoush’s wing is the most likely choice.

BBC Sport’s chief football news reporter Simon Stone said: “Given his nine-and-a-half year contract, I think it is pretty safe to conclude Marmoush is not replacing Haaland, which means he is going to get one of the wide slots.

“Jeremy Doku and Savinho have both excelled at times, but they have flattered and deceived, and they have frequently failed to deliver the required penetration and have not also failed to score enough goals.”

City could do with a right-back – but both defenders they have signed so far are primarily centre-backs.

Brazilian Reis, 19, moved from Palmeiras for £29.6m and Uzbekistan’s Khusanov, 20, has joined for £33.6m.

But will either play immediately?

Reis has made only 22 senior appearances at Palmeiras, but he can still be seen as a player for the future, according to BBC journalist Stone, who is also a 19-year-old.

Husanov is more knowledgeable about both domestic and international football. However, he is viewed more as a central defender.

” That said, as with Josko Gvardiol, no-one can be entirely sure what is in Pep’s mind for Uzbekistan’s first Premier League player.

“Gvardiol arrived as an international central defender and is now first-choice left-back, so nothing can be taken for granted with Guardiola”.

Palmeiras wanted to keep right-footed Reis on loan, after he was named in the Brazilian league’s team of the season.

But City insisted he moved immediately – and they say he will join Guardiola’s squad this season.

“I believe he will have no trouble adapting to the City system because here in the youth teams he was always exposed to playing under risk, having to be involved in the build-up play while also defending efficiently, even in one-on-one situations”, Palmeiras Under-20 coach Lucas Andrade told BBC Sport.

Khusanov would appear to be ready to play soon, following a rapid rise, but he is still unlikely to join the team right away.

He has played 24 Ligue 1 games for Lens after an £84, 000 move in July 2023 from Belarussian side Energetik-BGU.

“He’s a raw profile who needs ironing out”, said Luke Entwistle, editor-in-chief of Get French Football News.

He’s a rough diamond, but one worth taking a gamble because Pep Guardiola can improve his tactical understanding and finer details. Forty million euros could look like peanuts in a decade’s time”.

Lens ‘ British boss Will Still said: “He’s calm, powerful, he’s fast.

Manchester City are interested in signing Juventus and Italy left-back Cambiaso, 24.

Since Benjamin Mendy’s last game for the club was in August 2021, City haven’t had a left-back player play their main role since.

The French player, who has since been cleared of sexual assault allegations, currently plays for Lorient in France.

Cambiaso, a senior Italian international, has played for Juventus frequently this season.

With Kyle Walker set to join AC Milan on loan, City lacks options for right-back play.

Matheus Nunes, a midfielder, has played at right-back recently and struggled against Paris St-Germain in Wednesday’s 4-2 defeat.

” The suspicion is John Stones would be Guardiola’s first choice at right-back, “said BBC reporter Stone.

However, Stones is not in good health. Even though central defender Ruben Dias left the match at half-time, he only played for 15 minutes against PSG.

It appears certain Rico Lewis and Nunes will be asked to play there until a more permanent solution is available until Guardiola has his defenders fully fit.

Sierra Leonean Bah, 18, is another player City are interested in.

Real Valladolid claim Manchester City influenced him to agree to a move and forbid him from breaking his contract.

He signed for Valladolid last summer from AIK Freetong in Sierra Leone on a season-long loan, which the club used to enact a permanent contract this month.