Premier League Preview: Manchester City

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·15 August 2025

Premier League Preview: Manchester City

Last year’s finish: 3rd
First match: Saturday, August 16 12:30am PT @ Wolverhampton
Where they’ll be after five: 11 pts. with 3W, 2D, 0L

Transfer News

Given their Club World Cup commitment, Manchester City spent big, early. They pulled in midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan, defender Rayan Aït Nouri from Wolverhampton, and midfielder Rayan Cherki from Lyon, all before June 5th. Total cost: $147M. For a club that wipes its backside with financial fair play regulations, this represented a modest outlay.

True, they did sell four players. Kyle Walker moved to Burnley, and three loanees were made permanent. That generated $59M in revenue.

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So then they went out and spent MORE. They ripped the goalkeeping soul out of Burnley by snatching James Trafford, and swooped up 18-year old center midfielder Sverre Nypan from Rosenborg, ostensibly to groom as a replacement for Kevin de Bruyne. All in, City are $141M in the red.

Season Outlook

City still managed to qualify for the Champions League despite a disappointing campaign last year in which the only trophy they won was the Community Shield. Poor, sad, little sausages. Here’s the thing, though. All that adversity will only make hungrier, and Manchester City has a mighty big appetite.

The club is on my shortlist of league winners (along with Chelsea and Liverpool), for a handful of reasons. One, Erling Haaland’s scoring “funk” can’t last forever. He’s still one the most potent offensive threats in the PL. Two, they made some excellent signings that will only boost their strengths. Three, if they don’t succeed Pep’s head will explode and nobody wants to see that.

Key Players

Forward Erling Haaland missed out on the Golden Boot last season, but the good money is on him regaining that title in this one. Omar Marmoush is the only other forward on the team, and he garnished 8g/1a in 20 games. This year he should be even more composed and dangerous.
Midfield Rodri’s knee injury was a big factor in the club’s “poor” showing last year. Phil Foden’s stats were crap compared to previous seasons (he had the lowest contributions since making his senior debut back in 2018), but he did have a specular Club World Cup. Honestly, the quality of this midfield side is astounding, with so much depth it’s almost criminal. Third-string bench-warmers like Nico O’Reilly or James McAtee could probably be starting for other clubs.
Defense This wasn’t always the strong suit last season, and the club has not done much to address it during the transfer window. Abdukodir Khusanov’s PL adjustment has been labored, leaving John Stones and Rúben Dìas to shoulder the defensive burden. Nathan Aké has been grappling with injury; he’s no longer a 90+ minute player. Rico Lewis is talented but brash. He got as many red cards as assists last year: two.
Goalkeeper Ederson has been the top dog for City for a long time, but there’s a new pup that might overtake his alpha status. James Trafford is a product of the City academy, and has been trained in all the skill Guardiola is looking for. Who starts on Saturday (and in every fixture thereafter) will be a big drama.

Other Bits

If you thought Guardiola was intense last season, this one promises to be… well… more. Expect more sideline antics. Expect more post-game histrionics. He’s altered his coaching staff, pulling in Jürgen Klopp’s former second-in-command Pep Lijnders. He wants to win, baby.