- Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak admitted the club lacked transfer market aggression last summer
- The failure to strengthen the squad led to a trophyless season for Pep Guardiola’s side
- City spent over £172 million in January and are preparing for two summer windows due to the Club World Cup
Key Takeaways:
Manchester City were not aggressive enough in the transfer market last summer, and that led to disappointment in the past Premier League season, said club chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak. Pep Guardiola’s team failed to defend their Premier League title and ended the campaign without a trophy in club competitions.
🗣️ Khaldoon Al Mubarak insists City won’t repeat last summer’s mistakes:
“Last summer we probably should’ve been more aggressive with some of the changes. We didn’t — and it ended up costing us this year. We’ve already started the rebuild in January.” pic.twitter.com/kJMkSesINj
— City Chief (@City_Chief) May 29, 2025
In the summer, City signed Savinho for £30.8 million, while Ilkay Gundogan joined as a free agent. However, key forward Julian Alvarez and several other players left the Etihad.
“This was a season that was heavily impacted by last summer. We should have been more aggressive and made the changes we needed. We didn’t, and it cost us the entire season,” Al Mubarak stated in his annual address on Manchester City’s official website.
City were significantly more active during the January transfer window, by which point the title was nearly out of reach. The club brought in Omar Marmoush, Abduqodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, and Nico Gonzalez, spending over £172 million.
This summer, there will be two transfer windows for clubs participating in the FIFA Club World Cup. The first will take place before the start of the tournament, in which Manchester City begin their campaign on June 18.