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It feels strange to say that a season in which Manchester City won their fourth Premier League title in five seasons could be disappointing in any way. However, their collapse versus Real Madrid in the Champions League semifinals made the season that much worse for the Citizens.
After a ton of investment in the squad over the last few years, it is clear that Manchester City still needs a few more players to get that coveted Champions League trophy. To help them finally get there, here are three moves Manchester City must make in the 2022 summer transfer window.
Moves Manchester City need to make in 2022 summer
Get a rotational defensive midfielder
It might seem counterintuitive for Manchester City to look for a defensive midfielder. After all, Rodri is one of the best in the world at his position. However, with the exit of Fernandinho confirmed, there will be a huge gap in the rotation for the Citizens. Rodri is amazing, but if he's tasked with playing every minute next season, there are going to be injuries and a ton of issues in terms of his fitness. Manchester City's style of play relies on a top-tier defensive midfielder, so they need to look for an option in the summer transfer market.
Thankfully for them, there will be a bevy of players befitting that description available.
Obviously, the biggest one is Aurélien Tchouaméni, a 22-year-old Monaco youngster. He has already played 131 games of professional football, including 36 out of 38 last season in the league and 33 out of 36 so far this season. Tchouameni is a generational talent that City could pick up.
Another option for the Citizens is Declan Rice. The English defensive midfielder is likely going to leave West Ham in the summer, so a move for him might be the way to go. Unfortunately for Manchester City, it would be extremely costly to bring in Rice, as West Ham is looking for more than a £100 million transfer fee, according to recent reports.
Get a left back
Right now, the only two options for left back in Manchester City are Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko. There are a few issues with that and they were highlighted in the two matches versus Real Madrid.
The first one is that Cancelo is a natural right back, so he has moments where he looks fairly awkward playing on the other side. The second one is that Zinchenko is still not ready to play full minutes as a starting left back on a team with Champions League aspirations. He needs to be eased into that position because the Ukrainian fullback has all the potential in the world to be a great left back, but he needs time.
Thus, Manchester City definitely needs to look for an experienced left back on the market to be a placeholder for Zinchenko.
One option could be to bring over Alex Sandro from Juventus. He has been great for the Italian outfit for a couple years now, but is coming off one of the worst seasons of his career. Sandro's quality is apparent when he's playing well, though, and something Manchester City sorely needs. Due to his poor season, the Brazilian might be available for a lower price, which is great for a team that could use the funds to improve other spots around the roster.
Another option, although highly unlikely, would be Marcelo from Real Madrid. He is old, but Marcelo can still put in a shift occasionally, as he has shown in limited minutes with Madrid. However, Marcelo's acquisition seems unlikely due to his recent loss of pace and questions throughout his career about his effectiveness on defense.
Get a young player on the right wing
When Manchester City got Erling Haaland a couple of days back, they potentially assembled the best front three in the world. Phil Foden has been beyond amazing this season, and the same goes for Riyad Mahrez. With Haaland in the middle and both of them continuing their form, Manchester City's attack could be unstoppable.
However, Mahrez is already 31, on a completely different timeline than Haaland and Foden, both of whom are 10 years younger than the captain of the Algerian national team. Thus, a good place to find reinforcements would be on that right wing, where City needs a long-term answer next to Haaland and Foden.
Obviously, the best player for this would be Kylian Mbappe, but he is virtually unavailable, as Mbappe will continue with PSG or move to Real Madrid. A more realistic option could be Pedro Goncalves. The Portuguese youngster from Sporting FC is likely leaving this summer, as his current team is looking for around €80 million for a transfer. City could use his youth and potential going forward, but they could also look to snap him up from rivals Liverpool and Manchester United.
Another possible addition would be Buyako Saka, but given the fact that he is a key player for Arsenal, the transfer fee might be too big for his current level of play.
