Manchester City may not make it five Premier League titles in a row this season, but that hasn’t stopped Pep Guardiola from thinking ahead to the future and what lies next.
Despite City’s erratic form – winning just five times since the start of November – the Spaniard penned an extension to his deal at the club before Christmas.
Knowing he had to make a few signings during the January transfer window, Guardiola has even outdone himself, as three new arrivals have made their way to Manchester ahead of the second half of the campaign.
Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Omar Marmoush are the three players who have made the move to the club this month. The key question is, will there be more?
Much will depend on exactly how much Guardiola is willing to spend this month, as his new trio could all make an impression at the Etihad over the next few months.
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Marmoush, in particular, looks like a wonderful signing, and he will take the pressure off Erling Haaland to constantly perform in every single game.
If he hits the ground running, the Egyptian striker could score a bucketload of goals in the Premier League.
Why Omar Marmoush is a good signing for Man City
One of the longest-running transfer sagas of the current window finally came to an end when the deal that brought Marmoush to City was completed.
The club may have splashed out £59m, with a further £4.2m in bonus payments, to secure his signature, yet it was a signing that was urgently required.
For Eintracht Frankfurt during the first half of the 2024/25 campaign, Marmoush played 27 games, scoring 20 goals while registering 14 assists in all competitions, proving that he has wonderful all-round qualities.
It is in the Bundesliga where the centre-forward shone most. Along with his 15 goals, Marmoush also averaged 4.5 shots per game, created 11 big chances, averaged 2.1 key passes, and succeeded with 2.7 dribbles per match, impressive numbers across a range of metrics.
This clearly caught the eye of Guardiola and he now has two strikers available. Haaland may be more of an out-and-out number nine, but with his new arrival showcasing his talents in more ways than one, it could be a match made in heaven.
Spending nearly £60m on a striker this month shows that City mean business. They might not win the league title this term, but will go on one of their usual post-Christmas runs like what they have done in the past?
The three new arrivals will have revitalised the squad slightly, that’s for sure.
Omar Marmoush’s market valuation at Man City
According to Transfermarkt, Marmoush is currently valued at around €60m (£50m), which indicates that City perhaps overpaid slightly, but Frankfurt were keen on securing as high a fee as possible for their prized asset.
His valuation has risen exponentially in the last few months, especially given his stunning form at club level. Once he starts scoring a few goals for the Etihad side, this will only rise further as time goes on.
There are a few players at City who are worth more than Marmoush, however. With one enjoying a decent run of form following a tough start to 2024/25…
Phil Foden has hit form at the right time
During the first 17 matches of the Premier League season, Phil Foden had failed to produce anything near his best level of football.
The Englishman managed to find the back of the net just once during that time, chipping in with an assist, but he, along with everyone else in the squad, appeared to buckle under expectation.
Perhaps this was always going to happen. Foden’s meteoric rise was incredible. Since making his debut during the 2017/18 season to the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Foden had played 270 matches for the club, registering an impressive 140 goal contributions during that spell – 87 goals and 53 assists – which saw the youngster win a plethora of trophies, including the Champions League.
He emerged as one of the finest players in the country and was regularly praised by pundits, managers and even fellow players. Indeed, Lionel Messi was another who lavished praise on Foden, saying: “He will do amazing things in the game. He has huge talent.” Way back in 2020.
Recently, his form has been heading in the right trajectory. The 24-year-old has scored braces in each of the club’s previous two league matches.
Against Ipswich Town recently, Foden was on fire. Not only did he score twice, but he also made two key passes, recorded an assist and registered four total shots during his time on the pitch.
Season
Games
Goals
Assists
2023/24
53
27
12
2022/23
48
5
8
2021/22
45
14
11
2020/21
50
16
10
2019/20
38
8
9
2018/19
26
7
2
2017/18
10
0
1
Via Transfermarkt
If he can maintain this sort of level over the next few months, then he will be key to City attempting to move into the top four of the league table.
Phil Foden’s market value
It speaks volumes that despite Foden enduring a dip in form over the previous few months, his market value is still extremely high.
According to Transfermarkt, the Englishman is now worth €140m (£118m), although this has dropped slightly since his peak last May.
Still, he ranks as the second most valued player throughout the entire squad, only behind Haaland. Not only that, but Foden is worth over twice the value of Marmoush too.
The £225k-per-week superstar will be hoping to form a solid partnership with the new signing, propelling City to new heights.
If so, the next few months could be interesting indeed, with the club aiming to qualify for the Champions League by securing a top-four finish in the top flight.
The scary thing is, Foden is still yet to hit his peak, as he doesn’t turn 25 until May, which suggests he could still get even better.
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