Who Should Manchester City Sign in the January Transfer Window?

03/01/2025

Sports Editor Isaac Wilson (he/him) highlights Manchester City’s pitfalls and gives a lists of targets in the January transfer Window

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By Isaac Wilson

Manchester City have been sleep walking into an inevitable run of form which has seen the four-time, back-to-back Premier League winners win one match in thirteen. At the time of writing, City have slumped to seventh in the Premier League, behind the likes of Nottingham Forest, AFC Bournemouth and Newcastle United, who finished 17th, 12th and 7th respectively last season.

The catalyst for this was an injury crisis which has ravaged City’s backline. Manuel Akanji, Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias and John Stones have missed much of the season, with the four defenders who made up the Citizens treble-winning back line having to be rushed back from recurring injuries which have often led to longer spells on the sideline. As well as this, club captain Kyle Walker’s form has fallen off a cliff, leaving City at disarray at the back.

Legendary creative midfielder and all-time City great, Kevin De Bruyne, had sacrificed his hamstring for the aforementioned treble and has struggled for fitness since, leaving a massive creative gap in City’s midfield. At the same time, Ballon D’or winner Rodri, went down in the 2-2 draw against Arsenal in September with an ACL injury which will sideline the elite defensive midfielder for the remainder of the season. Given that Rodri carried the load last season, City are lacking in legs and struggling to create goals.

Looking further forward, Phil Foden’s form has dropped since his PFA Player of the Year winning campaign in the 2023/2024 season, while wingers Jack Grealish and new signing Savinho have also failed to contribute in a meaningful way this season.

Norwegian hitman Erling Haaland looks both frustrated and shattered. The two-time Premier League top-goalscorer started the season in electric form, scoring ten goals in his first five matches in the Premier League. Since the 2-2 draw with Arsenal, Haaland has only scored three  in ten. The striker has started all 18 Premier League games this season and has averaged 90 minutes a game for City in the league.

This, combined with failures in the transfer market in the last two years, has left City in need of a rebuild in all areas of the pitch.

The January transfer window is difficult to navigate, clubs don’t want to lose assets, below are a number of targets that could improve City now, as well as in years to come.

Starting at the back I’ve highlighted English and AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori. The Scudetto winner has fallen out of Paulo Foncesca’s lineup and is available for a supposed £20,000,000. Doubts can be raised over the former-Chelsea defender’s form this season; Tomori has only started six games this season and questions should rightfully be raised as to if he is at the standard of a team who want to compete both domestically and in Europe. However, Tomori was integral to Milan’s title winning 2021-2022 season, starting 30 Serie A matches, keeping 13 clean sheets out of the 16 that Milan had that season. Tomori is also handy as he can act as both a centre-back and a right sided full-back, drawing similarities to Manuel Akanji. As well as this, Tomori contributes towards the homegrown quota needed for European competitions. At a low-fee, Tomori could be a useful squad option in seasons to come as well as an immediate success for the Citizens.

I also want to highlight 18 year-old Jumah Bah, whom City have been linked with over the festive period. The Sierra-Leone international has impressed in the Spanish top-flight while on loan at Real Valladolid. Bah is a physical centre-back who carries the ball incredibly well from defence, though he is most definitely a work in progress, especially in regards to his ball playing abilities, and if brought in would most likely be understudy to City’s more senior centre-backs. Bah should be affordable given he is contracted at Swedish outfit AIK Freetong. The defender should be a no-brainer for City as he could offer depth as a fifth choice centre back for the Premier League champions.

Moving into midfield I want to highlight former-City midfielder Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian impressed at Aston Villa after his move from the Citizens in 2019. Luiz can operate both as a defensive midfielder as well as having the ability to play in a more advanced role, something that the injured Rodri did so seamlessly last season. The Brazilian switched Birmingham for Turin, signing for Juventus last summer. The move hasn’t panned out as Luiz would’ve expected, with him only starting two Serie A games all season. City should test their luck and attempt to bring the Brazilian in on a short term loan until the end of the season, allowing the Citizens to bolster their midfield without being stuck with a player who might not be in their long-term plans, something that happened when they brought in Matheus Nunes in the summer of 2023. Importantly, Luiz has worked with Pep Guardiola and the Catalan manager is a fan of the Brazilian, stating in 2019 that “I think he [Douglas Luiz] has the quality to play with us”. It usually takes City’s signings a while to bed in, given Luiz’s previous involvements with City he should be able to hit the ground running if brought in.

Alex Baena is the next player I want to highlight. The 23 year old has enjoyed a stellar 2024 for Villareal in Spain, he is the first player since Lionel Messi in 2017 to create over 100 chances in a calendar year in La Liga with the right-footed Spaniard creating 102 goal-scoring opportunities, 17 of which being big chances. Baena also leads Europe’s under-23’s in expected assists so far this season, topping a list including the likes of Bukayo Saka, Lamine Yamal and Cole Palmer. With Kevin De Bruyne’s fitness being in constant doubt Baena seems to be an almost must-buy for the Premier League champions, the advanced midfielder could be crucial in maximising Erling Haaland.

Speaking of Erling Haaland, the Norwegian desperately needs a deputy. Omar Marmoush is the player I’d first like to suggest. The Egyptian has enjoyed a stellar start to the season, scoring 13 and setting up eight  in 15 Bundesliga matches for Eintracht Frankfurt. Mail Sport reports that the Egyptian is liked by Manchester City and is rated at £40,000,000. Marmoush can operate through the middle as well as on the left hand side of an attacking three. This is vital for City as their wingers haven’t been able to help Haaland in the goalscoring department this season, Marmoush would be able to deputise as well as play alongside the two-time Premier League Golden Boot winner. I do have some reservations about Marmoush. For one, he has a typical finish, a right-footed finish into the far corner when cutting in from the left-hand side. I worry that Marmoush will soon be scouted and become less effective as keeper’s adapt to his style of shooting. As well as this, strikers from Eintracht Frankfurt have flattered to deceive away from the club. Luka Jovic, Randal Kolo Muani and Sebastian Haller have flourished for the German side in recent years and have since struggled across Europe, however I trust that City’s scouts back Marmoush’s ability to perform at the highest level if he is brought to the Etihad.

One final target for City is another former player, this time Ipswich striker Liam Delap. Delap was on City’s books after he moved to Manchester from Derby County in 2020. He tore up the Premier League Two  for the Citizen’s EDS team and scored for the Men's Senior Team in a Carabao Cup game against Bournemouth in 2020. A few failed loan moves followed at Preston and Stoke before finally flourishing at Hull City, scoring eight  and assisting two. This was enough for Ipswich to sign Delap from Manchester City in the summer of 2024 for around £20,000,000. Delap has exploded at Ipswich. The striker has scored seven  and assisted two  for the Tractor Boys, highly impressive given that Ipswich sit eighteenth  in the Premier League table at the time of writing. Like Luiz, Delap would fit in seamlessly given that he has trained in and around City’s first team, making him a prime candidate for the Citizens. Delap is supposedly available for £30,000,000 but it could be too soon for City to re-sign a player they sold for significantly less in the summer.