Manchester City were busy in the transfer window. They spent a combined £180m on new signings, to help improve their really poor season so far. Pep Guardiola’s side face a Champions League knockout clash with Real Madrid and an uphill battle to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
Two of the winter recruits for the Citizens came at centre-back. One of them was Vitor Reis, who made the move to East Manchester from Brazilian side Palmeiras for £29.6m. They also signed Uzbekistan defender Abdukodir Khusanov from French outfit Lens for £33.6m plus add-ons.
The reigning Premier League champions also added depth in midfield and attack before the window slammed shut, signing Nico Gonzalez and Omar Marmoush.
Why Man City signed Gonzalez and Marmoush
Guardiola’s side left things late on deadline day, signing Gonzlaez at the 11th hour. However, they brought him in from FC Porto for £50m, an important addition to the squad given their lack of midfielders.
Since Rodri’s injury, the Citizens have been struggling for depth in the centre of the park. Although the Spaniard is not a like-for-like replacement for the 2024 Ballon d’Or winner, he will still add numbers in midfield. This season, Gonzalez has seven goals and six assists for the Portuguese side.
It has been an exceptional season for Marmoush, who made the move to the Etihad Stadium from Eintracht Frankfurt for a fee in the region of £59m. He adds quality depth up front and the ability to play in lots of positions.
The Egyptian attacker has been on fire this season. Including his two games for City so far, the 25-year-old has made 28 appearances in all competitions, scoring 20 times and grabbing 14 assists in that time.
Guardiola and Co have spent the money they needed over the winter, to help reinvest in their squad and give themselves the best chance of ending the season strongly.
One of their former academy stars is also thriving this season and incredibly is actually valued higher than what City spent on their new midfielder and attacker.
The Man City academy star worth more than Gonzalez and Marmoush
The player in question here is Morgan Rogers. It has been a scintillating season for the Aston Villa attacker, who has flourished at first-team level since moving from City to Championship side Middlesbrough in July 2023. Transfermarkt reported the move cost Boro £1m.
Towards the start of the Premier League season, Liverpool legend turned pundit Jamie Carragher was full of praise for Rogers. He described him as a “machine”, before saying he “looks unstoppable”.
Indeed, the former Man City academy graduate has certainly proved that in the 2024/25 campaign so far. He has played 32 games across all competitions, scoring ten goals and grabbing five assists.
Perhaps the best game of the season from the England international came in Villa’s most recent Champions League outing, a 4-2 win over Celtic at Villa Park.
After two minutes, the attacker had two goals and completed his hat-trick in the second half. It was a completely devastating performance.
In the Premier League, Rogers put in a huge performance to sink Guardiola’s side and help Villa to a 2-1 win earlier in the season. He scored and assisted that day, as well as completing five dribbles and winning eight duels, as per Sofascore.
Touches
56
Pass accuracy
83%
Passes completed
30/36
Dribbles completed
5/7
Ground duels won
8/12
Chances created
2
The Villa number 27 has seen his transfer value shoot up. According to CIES Football Observatory, he is worth as much as £74m. That is far more than what the East Mancunian outfit paid for both Marmoush and Gonzalez.
Looking back on it, City may well regret moving the England international on for when they did. Not only is he now worth £73m more than what they sold him for, but the 22-year-old might have saved them a fortune on their January signings, especially Marmoush.
Nevertheless, Cty’s loss is Villa’s gain, and Rogers is loving life in Claret and Blue, where his value will surely only increase if his performances continue.
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