The treble winners have been dismantled. A new era has begun at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola.
Kevin De Bruyne, Ederson, Ilkay Gundogan, Kyle Walker and, of course, Jack Grealish. All now yesterday’s news.
They were all crucial in the greatest season in City’s history, but time waits for no one. Following a turbulent 2024/25 campaign, Guardiola has overseen substantial change this summer, ushering in a wave of exciting, bold additions. Old with the old, in with the new.
Success for most managers operates on a boom or bust cycle. Take Jose Mourinho or Antonio Conte, for example, serial winners across multiple different stints, albeit with both men having the tendency to implode.
The very best, like Sir Alex Ferguson – and now Guardiola – have that ability to build, grow, evolve; ride it out even when things begin to get tougher.
Having already phased out one great side containing the likes of Vincent Kompany, David Silva, and Sergio Aguero, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is doing so again.
The Etihad’s latest array of stars are beginning to shine brightly – there are now new poster boys to get behind…
Man City's new-look side is starting to come together
Heading into the recent international break, there were perhaps questions being asked of just where this City side is at, having slipped to defeats against both Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton, after thrashing Wolverhampton Wanderers on the opening weekend.
Following a much-needed reset, the Citizens have returned with a bang over the last week or so, having surged to a deserved 3-0 win in the Manchester derby, spearheaded by the brilliance of Erling Haaland at the top of the pitch, with debutant Gianluigi Donnarumma in sparkling form at the opposite end.
A key figure in that convincing win was also the lively Jeremy Doku, with the fleet-footed Belgian beginning to translate his devastating attacking threat into a consistent end product.
Minutes
77
Touches
48
Assists
2
Key passes
4
Pass accuracy
83%
Dribbles completed
2/6
Total duels won
7/14
Possession lost
17
Fouls won
4
The former Rennes speedster notably skipped past Luke Shaw as if the Englishman wasn’t even there before teeing up Phil Foden for the opener, having also provided the assist for Haaland’s first of the game after expertly fending off Leny Yoro.
Unplayable at his best, the marauding winger got in on the act himself in the midweek win over De Bruyne’s Napoli, skipping his way into the area before firing home from the angle.
Alongside the likes of Haaland and Foden, Doku could be the face of this youthful, fresh outfit. So too can Tijjani Reijnders, with the £46.3m Dutchman notably netting at Molineux on his Premier League debut.
Trickier tests have followed since, although the ex-AC Milan midfielder was back to his best last time out, providing the assist for Doku’s clincher, while also boasting a 93% pass accuracy, as per Sofascore.
While injury has largely kept new men Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki out of action, Reijnders is front and centre.
Guardiola now has a fresh spine to build around, while there is further reason for optimism all across the pitch.
How Doku and Reijnders' market value compares
New signings, of course, are crucial to this Etihad rebuild, although Guardiola can also look in-house in order to find the tools to assemble his next title-winning outfit in Manchester.
While currently ousted from his right-back berth by Abdukodir Khusanov, young Rico Lewis is among those who will likely play a part for the long haul at the club, having only recently committed his future to City.
Despite notable interest from the likes of Nottingham Forest over the summer, the 20-year-old has since signed a new deal at the Etihad until 2030, with director of football Hugo Viana stating that the youngster “embodies everything we aspire to be at Manchester City”.
Once lauded by Guardiola as “one of the best [he’s] ever trained” – having also been dubbed a “wonderful” player by one-time wonderkid, Joe Cole – Lewis has certainly enjoyed a rapid rise through the ranks in recent years.
As his recent role on the bench has indicated, his progression hasn’t been perfect – not least amid the debate over his best role in the side – yet to have already racked up 98 first-team appearances by the age of 20 is a testament to his quality.
That quality is also evident amid his soaring market value, with the City hierarchy perhaps right not to have cashed in amid Forest’s desire to seal a reported £25m switch.
Indeed, as per Football Transfers, the homegrown sensation is now said to be worth as much as €75m (£66m). For context, that even exceeds the value of both Doku and Reijnders, with the pair said to be worth €66m (£57m) and €63m (£55m), respectively.
Market Movers
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Guardiola’s “little Phillip Lahm”, Lewis is destined to have a bright future in this evolving City squad and starting XI.
Khusanov might have the jersey right now, but such a valuable asset like the seven-cap England international will surely weave his way back into the side before too long. He’s too good not to.
