Man City stun with excellent value deal as Guardiola means business with rebuild
Man City’s are making a statement with their summer business after the club backed Pep Guardiola with the signing of a “top-quality player”.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson revealed that he was incredibly impressed with the calibre of players the Sky Blues had agreed to bring in.
Guardiola’s side splashed the cash in January after a dismal start to the season, signing Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush, young defenders Vitor Reis, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Juma Bah, and Porto midfielder Nico Gonzalez.
But results remained inconsistent and City lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace, whilst finishing 13 points behind title-winners Liverpool.
In an attempt to rectify the issues that began with a stagnant summer transfer window in 2024, the dethroned Premier League champions have made a fast start to their business, and Robinson revealed to Football Insider he sees the signings the Sky Blues are making as a statement of intent.
Man City paying ‘really good price’ for Tijjani Reijnders
With Kevin De Bruyne leaving City after a decade at the club, Guardiola requires a new creator-in-chief, and the man chosen to replace the legendary Belgian is AC Milan’s Tijjani Reijnders.
Speaking on the latest Insider Track, Robinson revealed he was impressed with the £46million [Sky Sports] fee the Sky Blues are set to pay, calling the midfielder a “proper player”.
“Without losing touch with reality, we talk about money and millions in football quite openly and willy-nilly,” the ex-England goalkeeper told Football Insider.
“But actually, £46m in today’s market for what they’re paying for him, they’re getting a proper player for that value, that’s a really good price to pay for a top-quality player.
“And this isn’t just a little shot by Manchester City since January.
“This is a rebuild you talk about, you know, talk about Reijnders, talk about Ait Nouri, the players that came in in January.
“This is Pep and Manchester City saying, ‘right, we’re coming back at this and we’re going to come back even stronger’.
“I think he’s [Reijnders] a really good signing for them, I do.”
Tijjani Reijnders to form exciting midfield trio with Rodri, Nico Gonzalez
Pete O’Rourke exclusively revealed to Football Insider that Reijnders will be used further forward by City next season, with Rodri and Gonzalez tucking in behind.
The two Spaniards are yet to spend a significant amount of time on the pitch in a Sky Blue shirt together, but should be an indomitable tandem.
Both Rodri and Gonzalez excel with the ball at their feet, and with the Ballon d’Or holder’s strong defensive properties, the former Porto man will be given more licence to focus on moving the ball forward.
Reijnders may not have De Brunye-level distribution, very few do, but the Dutchman has proven himself to be an excellent source of goals, scoring 15 times for Milan last season.
As a collective, the three midfielders offer Guardiola a variety of different strengths and characteristics, and the Spaniard has already shown what he can do in the Premier League when given a strong midfield to work with.