Manchester City have made one of the biggest statements in the January transfer window - by doing the opposite of most of their rivals.
Chelsea have thrown the chequebook at anything that breathes, Manchester United have brought in a striker, Liverpool struck early for forward Cody Gakpo and Arsenal are still looking to reunite Moises Caicedo with former Brighton teammate Leandro Trossard. City, by contrast, are letting one of their best and most experienced players leave on loan to Bayern Munich for the rest of the season.
It has been an extraordinary fall from favour for Joao Cancelo in terms of the swiftness and severity of how it has all fallen apart. Arguably the most reliable player in the team over the past two seasons still has more minutes than any other City defender this season, despite being overlooked for virtually every match since the World Cup.
