Manchester City chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, has vowed that the revamp of Pep Guardiola’s squad will accelerate in the coming weeks, with a clear focus on being fully equipped before the FIFA Club World Cup kicks off on June 14.
After securing a historic fourth straight Premier League crown, City endured a disappointing campaign by their own lofty standards.
They finished third in the league, won only three of ten Champions League fixtures, and suffered a shock defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final, ending the season without silverware for the first time since Guardiola’s debut term in 2016/17.
Reflecting on the season, Khaldoon admitted the club failed to act decisively enough in the previous transfer window.
“We were not aggressive enough last summer,” he acknowledged, pointing to the need for a deeper squad refresh.
The club responded with urgency in January, bringing in Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis, and Nico Gonzalez in deals totaling more than £172 million ($232 million). Khaldoon hinted that further reinforcements are imminent.
“This January we had to act,” Khaldoon said during his traditional end-of-season address.
“Four players in January (came in), and that gives you an idea of what’s coming this summer because we will continue.
We have clearly identified who exactly are the targets, in what positions, and we have our clear number one option, our clear number two option.
And we’ll go about our business and it will be very clear, very swift. And our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup.”
Despite manager Guardiola’s preference for a more streamlined squad going forward, City are still expected to be active in the transfer market.
Names like Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White, Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, and AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders have already been linked with potential moves to the Etihad.
Guardiola, who extended his stay at City until 2027 in the middle of last season’s struggles, has the full backing of the board. Khaldoon remains confident that the club, which has dominated English football over the past decade, will soon return to its peak.
“We will be back. This season is a season that’s now behind us. Today is a new day. We start working and preparing for next season,” he said.
“I can assure you, this club will do everything possible to come back to the standards that we know we all can achieve and that we know, we will achieve.”
