Manchester City are not known for having busy transfer windows, but in 2022 that's exactly what happened.
First-team regulars Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, Fernandinho and Oleksandr Zinchenko all left for pastures new, and in response City brought in a host of new faces. Of course the signings of Erling Haaland and Julian Alvarez had already been secured before the end of last season, but Kalvin Phillips, Stefan Ortega, Sergio Gomez and Manuel Akanji followed before the end of the summer to complete a new-look squad.
New signings often take a while to settle in at City and adapt to Pep Guardiola's system - as some of this year's recruits are showing - but some of the new arrivals have bedded in extremely quickly. After 14 games of the new Premier League season, now seems like an appropriate time to rank City's summer signings.
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Erling Haaland
You can't really ask for much more than 23 goals in 18 games, can you? Haaland's response to those who doubted his suitability to a Guardiola team has been nothing short of emphatic, with the 22-year-old putting in the kind of performances never seen from a Premier League striker before.
If there are any slight criticisms - and there are, because no player is perfect - it's that he could improve his build-up play and work outside the penalty area. Ultimately though, even that facet of his game is much better than many said it would be.
Grade: A+
Manuel Akanji
City did not intend to add a fifth centre-back to their squad this summer, but when injuries to John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Nathan Ake left Ruben Dias as the only fit option, Guardiola decided they better had.
Little was expected of a player who couldn't get a game at Borussia Dortmund, but at just £15m Akanji has proved to be an absolute bargain. He is arguably now one of City's two best central defenders and a go-to man for Pep.
Grade: A
Julian Alvarez
Joining a team coached by Guardiola is never easy, especially if you're moving halfway across the world, don't speak much English and directly competing with Haaland for minutes.
Yet relative to how much game time he's had this season - he's made 20 appearances but only played the equivalent of 10 full matches - Alvarez has impressed. Against Nottingham Forest, Sevilla and Fulham he showcased the natural striking instincts City signed him for, and will surely only get better the more he plays.
Grade: B+
Stefan Ortega
The life of a back-up goalkeeper is not easy, especially if you've been a number one for most of your career. Stefan Ortega joined City knowing he'd be playing second fiddle to Ederson, but when he has come in to the game he has looked solid.
After an unconvincing performance against Barcelona back in August, Ortega has impressed in the Champions League and put in a man-of-the-match display against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup. It's fair to say that Ederson has never had such serious competition for his starting gig.
Grade: B
Sergio Gomez
Gomez was something of an under-the-radar signing, largely because City appeared to have focused their efforts on then-Brighton full-back Marc Cucurella. When that deal fell through though City quickly snapped up the 22-year-old from Anderlecht, and the signs have been promising.
The Spaniard has a similar profile to Zinchenko - an attacker converted into a left-back who is technically excellent and can plug gaps in multiple positions. He clearly still has much to learn though - his red card against Copenhagen showed inexperience, and Guardiola has on occasion opted to play Ake or Laporte at left-back rather than turn to his specialist. There is certainly room for improvement.
Grade: C+
Kalvin Phillips
Through no fault of his own, Phillips could not have endured a worse start to life at City. Following his £42m move from Leeds the midfielder has played just 54 minutes of competitive football, with 40 of those coming last week.
Given the extremely small sample size it's hard to grade the 26-year-old. If surgery has finally sorted his shoulder issue then after the World Cup he should be able to show what he can do in a sky blue shirt.
Grade: N/A
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