With the winter window fast approaching, City may look to bring in reinforcements. The need for a new midfielder became clear after Rodri sustained a season-ending injury in September during City’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium. Since then, Pep Guardiola has hinted at the possibility of signing a replacement for the injured 2024 Ballon d’Or winner.
In a recent Stick to Football episode, Carragher highlighted a potential obstacle that could complicate City’s January business. He explained, “I think the problem is that – I think City need to buy in January – but the problem would be with the charges stuff. If you are a player, are you going to sign and then in January or February [the club are charged]?”
City has been dealing with accusations of breaching 115 Premier League financial regulations. According to a report from The Athletic, the club hasn’t included any potential punishment clauses in player contracts, such as relegation clauses, despite the ongoing allegations. The report added, “In most cases, the charges are not even brought up during negotiations, unless it is by an agent. If that is the case, they are told what the City squad was told on the day the charges dropped 18 months ago: that there is nothing to worry about and to get on with the job.”
Based on this, it seems City will continue their approach of downplaying the potential impact of the charges as they look ahead to January’s transfer activity.
In the meantime, City has a packed schedule, with key Premier League and Champions League matches on the horizon, including clashes with Tottenham, Feyenoord, Liverpool, Juventus, and Manchester United. With a challenging run of fixtures and four recent losses across competitions, Guardiola’s immediate focus will be to get his team back on track, ensuring they’re positioned to compete for trophies by season’s end.
