2023 was shaping up to be a rather quiet year on the transfer front for Manchester City. By design.
In a departure from their usual tactic of gradual improvement, City had a big shake-up last summer as Pep Guardiola moved to revigorate his squad to prevent it from growing fat on success. Out went four crucial players to the club's recent success in Raheem Sterling, Fernandinho, Gabriel Jesus and Aleks Zinchenko, with the winds of change blowing in Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez, Kalvin Phillips, Manuel Akanji, Sergio Gomez and Stefan Ortega.
So much sudden disruption has led to growing pains this season but the Blues should hopefully emerge at the end of the transformation for the better. After so many movers and shakers in 2022, this year looked as though it would return to normal with a drastic reduction in moves in and out of the club.
Also read: Cancelo speaks out on City future and Guardiola after Bayern switch
Yet, just as it look as though another January transfer window would pass by without much activity worth discussing, yet more explosive change occurred. Joao Cancelo, an integral figure over the last two years, departed for Bayern Munich.
The Portuguese had fallen out of favour in recent months but he has still been used more than any other City defender this season and the move came as an utter shock. It's a loan for now but Bayern have the choice to make it a permanent move for £61.5million in the summer.
Even if Cancelo does return, which he has left the door open to, it remains difficult to see him coming back into the side after such a sharp and sudden exit. The divorce has once again left City dangerously short on options in a position they have had a bewildering blindspot to for years.
Given the unlimited resources at the club's disposal and their usual meticulous planning in every other aspect of the squad, left-back continues to feel like the thermal exhaust port inexplicably built into the Death Star. Season after season, City have relied on makeshift options there instead of just bringing in a quality signing. Any signings made - Gomez and Angelino - have proven poor.
Fabian Delph, Danilo, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake, Zinchenko and Cancelo have all had to fill in there due to City's reluctance to sign a first-team-ready, natural left-back. Even when they finally tried to do so in the summer they messed it up.
Zinchenko was allowed to depart for Arsenal before his replacement, Marc Cucurella, was signed. City then baulked at Brighton's asking price before Todd Boehley stormed in with his doorstop wallet and he went to Chelsea anyway. Cucurella's struggles at Stamford Bridge show City were right not to pay over the odds but calls into question why they targeted him anyway as well as why there were no alternative options lined up.
Instead, Gomez remained at the club and has looked every ounce like a player initially deemed not ready and in need of time out on loan. Cancelo's excellent performances did strap a plaster to the problem but now he is gone the lack of options is once again being exposed.
City didn't bother trying to replace their No.7, with Nathan Ake's bright form, the emergence of Rico Lewis and the additional cover of Aymeric Laporte and Gomez being adjudged to be enough. However the season does turn out, City can't allow such a blatant gap in their otherwise sensational squad to be left unfilled past the upcoming summer window.
It initially looked as though midfield would be the only position in need of reinforcement in 2023. Ilkay Gundogan is 32 and out of contract in the summer, Kevin De Bruyne will be 32 when the next season starts and Bernardo Silva has wanted to return to mainland Europe for years. With Jude Bellingham potentially available, it's a signing that makes all the sense in the world.
However, it can no longer be their only priority as City must finally sign a good left-back.
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