Manchester City believe they can complete the signings needed to reshape their squad, although the success of their summer transfer window will not be clear until it closes on 1 September.
The club have already lost Rodri and Bernardo Silva, while several other recent arrivals could also depart. At the same time, there has been limited progress on further recruitment since City paid a club-record £116m for Enzo Fernandez.
The scale of the challenge was highlighted by manager Maresca before the season began. When a reporter suggested that Rodri might be the best player in the world in his position, Maresca smiled and interrupted.
“So, how do we solve this problem?”
After hearing the full question, he offered an answer that sounded light-hearted but reflected the task facing the club.
“Try to find a new Rodri.”
Maresca has also spoken of his ambition to continue the model that has guided Manchester City over the past decade and a half.
“Our goal is to continue the team’s development model of the past ten to fifteen years.”
That means replacing Rodri, a World Cup Golden Ball winner regarded as the world’s best midfielder, while maintaining the standards established under Roberto Mancini, Manuel Pellegrini and, above all, Pep Guardiola. Those managers delivered 26 trophies between them.
However, the start of the new season against Bournemouth came at a difficult moment for City. The club confirmed an agreement with Barcelona for Rodri’s transfer last Sunday, with the deal potentially worth £65.3m ($89.1m), only hours before a 3-0 defeat by Arsenal in the Community Shield.
There had been an expectation that reinforcements would quickly follow. Instead, Reijnders moved to a Qatari club for £51m ($69.6m), while The Athletic reported that Nico Gonzalez could join Newcastle. Savinho was also close to a move to Tottenham, and Marmoush was another player whose future appeared uncertain.
City have been working on a deal for Youssouf Fofana and have considered other midfield options, but there has been no significant movement for some time. They also showed interest in Adam Wharton, although Crystal Palace were not prepared to allow him to leave.
The most attainable target appeared to be Palmeiras winger Allan. The 22-year-old has not been a standout performer in the Brazilian league and has never represented Brazil at any age-group level, meaning his arrival would be unlikely to generate much excitement among supporters.
Maresca has insisted that City have a complete recruitment strategy in place, even if its progress has not been obvious externally.
A familiar rebuilding challenge
The manager had considered the problem of finding a successor to Rodri before the midfielder’s departure became public. During a coffee meeting in Korea, he discussed the issue, although he could not reveal that he already knew Rodri did not intend to remain at City for the new campaign.
Maresca’s argument is that the club have repeatedly replaced major figures. Rodri himself arrived before winning the Golden Ball, the Champions League or the Club World Cup, all of which he later achieved after joining City.
“That’s just the reality,” Maresca said. “When Rodri first came here, he hadn’t won the Golden Ball, the Champions League, or the Club World Cup. He achieved many major honors only after joining the club.”
“Now our goal is to try to find the next Rodri. Last night I was thinking: when David Silva was with the team, everyone was worried about what would happen next; then De Bruyne came. When Aguero was in the team, everyone was also anxious, and Haaland arrived. Fernandinho left, and Rodri took over. That’s how it is.
“When a key player leaves, you have to find an excellent successor. These excellent players have something in common: David, Kevin, Fernandinho, Rodri, Aguero, Haaland, and one more whose name I can’t recall right now. I was thinking about this just last night.”
“Player turnover is normal; it’s simply a change, not a problem.”
The manager has nevertheless acknowledged that the number of players seeking moves has complicated City’s plans. With the window due to close on 1 September, the club are likely to experience their busiest summer in several years.
Supporters have been left concerned by the departures and the absence of major incoming deals, particularly because the midfield must be rebuilt at the same time as a new manager attempts to establish his methods in a squad accustomed to Guardiola’s approach.
“There are still ten days until the transfer window closes, and we hope we can complete the necessary signings,” Maresca said on Friday.
“Some players want to leave for various reasons, which hinders our work. But we must learn to adapt, and we will never force players who don’t want to stay to remain.”
“I think all clubs and fans are in a similar situation: everyone is waiting for transfers to materialize. The norm during transfer windows is that everything is often settled in the final week, with clubs trying to keep players until the last moment to secure a higher price, which is normal. Once the transfer window closes and the full squad is in place, everything will definitely be different.”
City have been more successful in the market when selling players. A number of underperforming members of the squad have generated substantial income.
Savinho remains a player with considerable potential and possesses excellent dribbling ability, although his finishing requires major improvement. A fee of at least £75m for the winger would represent a notable piece of business.
Reijnders may have improved with another season at the club, but he often struggled last term and believed he was not appreciated. A £51m sale would also appear financially favourable. Similar deals for Nico Gonzalez and Marmoush, close to the amounts City originally paid for them, would produce the same outcome.
The concern is that all of those players joined within the past two years. Apart from Savinho, each arrived during the last 18 months. Although selling players who have not performed for sizeable fees is positive, they were initially regarded as important parts of City’s rebuilding programme. That makes the club’s ability to consistently discover another player of Rodri’s level more difficult to assess.
The overall verdict on City’s summer will have to wait until the transfer window closes. The club remain confident they can recruit the players required, but the season has already started and there is a significant gap in midfield.
Even Guardiola would have found the situation challenging. For Maresca, who is taking over a side shaped by his predecessor’s philosophy, the adjustment is even more demanding.
“If you work with the same person every day, when that person leaves, everything changes,” Maresca said. “It’s like I’m an actor who has worked with the same director on films for ten years. Suddenly, the director changes, and as an actor, my mindset is still stuck in the mode of working with the old director.”
“Now, a new director has arrived, and the actor must adapt. This process is complex and not easy, so I say we need to look at the problem in a broader context. This is not an excuse: the team does need some time to gel, but we must also enter competition as soon as possible.”
With more departures possible, City must decide whether to pay a premium for their preferred targets, pursue cheaper alternatives or wait for asking prices to fall to a level they consider reasonable. Other clubs are likely to demand high fees because the deadline is approaching, and because City have already earned significant sums from sales.
That leaves substantial work to complete after the new campaign has begun. Maresca will face intense pressure, although succeeding Guardiola was always likely to bring scrutiny and City may need weeks or months to reach their best level.
Waiting until after the season starts to complete deals could be acceptable if it allows City to secure the players they genuinely want at sensible prices. The condition is that the club must execute the final stages of their transfer plan successfully.
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