Man City transfer window rated - Jack Grealish perfect, Ederson incomprehensible
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Jack Heath
Thu 4 September 2025 13:35, UK
Man City underwent major surgery on an ageing squad this transfer window in a bid to rebound from their worst season in recent memory.
Pep Guardiola demanded huge change at the Etihad after a calamitous season by his standards with City failing to win a single trophy in the 2024-25 campaign.
The Cityzens bowed out early from the Club World Cup in the USA to cap off a below-par season as the Spaniard looked to drastically fix his tiring squad.
There have been suggestions that Man City’s manager Guardiola is beginning to decline after the awful outing last year with the summer providing a vital opportunity to boost the ex-Barcelona boss’ chances of acquiring silverware again.
Football Insider has reflected on the blue half of Manchester’s transfer window as they look to bounce back at the first time of asking.
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Across the board, City have sealed some excellent loan spells for exciting young talent to quality football clubs with the board clearly intent on sending players to teams in either the top or second division around Europe.
In particular, heavy focus will be on Claudio Echeverri who impressed in the Club World Cup before an unfortunate injury.
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The German side have just sacked former Man United boss Erik ten Hag after just three games in charge, but hopefully the next manager will improve the prospects of the exciting young Argentine.
Vitor Reis will also gain valuable experience playing in La Liga with sister-club Girona following a few matches at the back end of last season as the Brazilian continues to develop.
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Little is known about the duo but the club did fetch solid offers for the 23-year-old and the 22-year-old’s services.
Given the plethora of talent in the City squad, it would have been highly unlikely the pair would have broken into the main team anytime soon so a decent combined return appears a success.
Despite being a regular under the Spaniard for many seasons now, the Switzerland international had begun to fall down the pecking order.
The move works for both parties with the 30-year-old bagging a move to one of the best sides in Europe as well as Guardiola reducing the size of his squad, just as he wanted.
Moreover, if Manuel Akanji impresses in Italy with his contract expiring in June 2027, the defender could be sold permanently to the Milan side.
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The German didn’t quite dazzle on his second coming at City and this move is beneficial for all parties involved.
The 34-year-old often struggled to keep up with the speed of the Premier League last time out as he begins to decline.
Moving to the club he supported as a child, the only negative for the blue half of Manchester regarding the deal is that they will lose an integral voice in the changing rooms.
Photo by Will Palmer/Sportsphoto/Allstar Via Getty Images
I have very mixed feelings about the decision to part ways with the talented young Englishman with the situation reminiscent of Cole Palmer’s sale to Chelsea, which has to be deemed a major regret for Man City.
James McAtee featured in England Under-21s emphatic Euro victory in the summer and was one of the standout performers in an exciting Three Lions team.
Moreover, in the limited minutes he was given in the 2024-25 campaign, the former Sheffield United playmaker looked confident, wielding a technical ability well beyond his years.
I’m also concerned he won’t be able to reach his full potential at the City Ground given the plethora of attacking options Nuno Espirito Santo has brought in.
The jury is out on this one.
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Similar to Ilkay Gundogan, the former Tottenham speedster was on the decline and out of favour under Guardiola, seeing him spend the second half of the season on-loan with AC Milan.
The right-back had been a loyal servant to the club but, now aged 35, Kyle Walker was struggling to maintain his high levels, so a permanent exit was needed and secured.
A club icon and one of the greatest Premier League players the league has ever seen, it was a sad day as a football fan to see the Belgian leave the Etihad.
Whilst I do understand the premise of selling the 34-year-old who was consistently picking up niggling injuries, I was also shocked at the blunt manner in which City parted with the playmaker.
Kevin De Bruyne Premier League Stats Man CityAppearances288Goals72Assists119(Source: Premier League)
Early on in the final year of his contract, Guardiola and the club’s stance was clear that he would leave at the end of the season.
In my eyes, it would have made more sense to maybe extend his deal by one-year and keep him as a rotation player to help bed in the new wave of attacking talent.
Considering the Englishman has fallen out of favour under Guardiola and was seemingly-disenchanted with playing football at the Etihad, the move is precisely what both him and the club needed.
The 29-year-old has already proved to be a shrewd bit of business for Everton who are interested in signing Jack Grealish permanently, sources have told Football Insider.
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Therefore, the Cityzens are in a win-win situation: either the former Aston Villa wide man thrives with the Toffees and is reintegrated into the Man City starting XI or will be sold for a decent price come the end of the season if he continues to impress.
I’m absolutely chuffed for Grealish who looks far happier at the Hill Dickinson Stadium playing with a smile on his face again and freedom to roam.
Doubts over the Brazilian’s long-term future in Manchester raged on all summer with a late deadline day move confirmed to the Turkish outfit.
Gianluigi Donnarumma came the other way but the pair are poles apart in terms of what Guardiola wants in his keepers.
Ederson is one of the most technically gifted goalkeepers the league has ever seen, capable of producing sumptuous long-range passes which saw him notch four assists last year.
The Italian is the complete opposite, known for his incompetency with the ball at his feet despite incredible shot-stopping, making the swap of keepers a bizarre one in my opinion.
Simply put, the move to bring in Marcus Bettinelli on a free is nothing exciting, but offers more depth in the goalkeeper spots.
Sverre Nypan is a highly thought of 18-year-old who notched 15 goal involvements in Norway last year and will be a player for the future.
The midfielder will spend the rest of the season on loan with Middlesborough which will offer him a superb insight into competitive English football.
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The departure of Ederson saw Man City swoop in for one of the best shot stoppers on the planet.
The Italian had become surplus to requirements at PSG due to his apparent inability to use his feet, a skill demanded by Luis Enrique of his keepers.
Defensively, the arrival of the former AC Milan man should boost Guardiola’s rearguard for sure, but from an attacking and creative perspective, the Spaniard will have to temper his expectations for the 26-year-old supplying inch-perfect passes.
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In terms of price to quality ratio, the signing of the enigmatic Frenchman was an absolute steal.
The 22-year-old grabbed 12 goals and 20 assists in his final campaign for Lyon and has all the makings of being one of France’s next top stars.
£30million for a dynamite attacker with a long career ahead of him is stupendous business by the Man City board.
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The Algerian has been an excellent warrior for Wolves since he joined back in 2021 and was on-fire for Vitor Pereira last season.
Rayan Ait-Nouri scored on five occasions as well as supplying seven assists, making him one of the best left-backs in the Premier League.
The deal is a cunning one and should pay off for Guardiola later down the line.
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Potentially the answer to De Bruyne, the Dutchman has so far started well for his new club with one goal and one assist in comfortably one of the best debuts the league has seen.
Tijjani Reijnders arrives as a player just entering his prime with an all-round ability to create, score and recover the ball.
It does appear the ex-AC Milan magician will be Guardiola’s go-to attacking-midfielder, especially after the injury to Cherki, and will almost certainly have an excellent campaign for the Cityzens.
I am on the fence about how I feel about the Englishman’s return to his boyhood club after impressing under Scott Parker at Burnley.
James Trafford is a capable shot stopper but, for me, he is not a City player given his distinct lack of finesse.
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Moreover the decision to bring in Donnarumma signifies the academy graduate will be spending much of the campaign on the bench in what is a step backwards in his career.
In my opinion, the rumoured move to Newcastle would have been a far better choice for Trafford who would have almost certainly ousted Nick Pope from his starting berth.