In recent seasons, Manchester City has become somewhat of a dominant force in English football. Pep Guardiola’s team has won the Premier League title in four straight seasons and has also been crowned champions in six of the last seven campaigns.
The Citizens are usually pretty active in the transfer market in most windows. However, the summer of 2025 has been pretty quiet for arrivals. With a potential big departure set to take place, the question is, will the Citizens be stronger or weaker in attack in season 2024/25?
Have Manchester City strengthened their attack in the summer of 2024?
The answer is slightly. The Citizens’ only new arrival is talented young Brazilian winger Savinho (Savio), who joined from French club Troyes for a fee of around £30.8m.
The 20-year-old winger was outstanding on loan at Girona last season. He scored ten goals and produced 12 assists, helping the Catalan team to be one of the surprise packages of the Spanish top flight, qualifying for the Champions League for season 2024/25.
He is undoubtedly an exciting young player who will add something to City’s attack. His ability to play on both flanks is an added bonus. The Brazilian’s versatility gives the Citizens head coach, Pep Guardiola, the option of moving his attacking players around and creating a more fluid attack.
Has anybody left the champions?
So far, City’s only definite departures from the club have been Sergio Gomez, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, and Tommy Doyle, who have joined Real Sociedad, Southampton, and Wolves, respectively.
However, a significant departure looks set to take place. Argentinian World Cup winner Julian Alvarez is close to completing a move to Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid in a deal that could net the Citizens an eventual fee of around £82m.
🚨 Julian Alvarez has agreed personal terms ahead of proposed move from Manchester City to Atletico Madrid. Approval of 24yo Argentina striker was key final step after deal struck between #Atletico & #MCFC worth up to €95m. With @SamLee for @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/Z0BQVXlNaz pic.twitter.com/nglDsh1V2Z
— David Ornstein (@David_Ornstein) August 6, 2024
The initial fee is likely to be around £64m, with the rest in add-ons. This would be City’s highest-ever fee received.
City would be making a massive profit on a player who cost them just £14m when he arrived from River Plate in January 2022. The financial aspect of the deal is no doubt a good one for the Citizens.
The playing effect will be that City will lose the player considered as the main striking backup to first-choice striker Erling Haaland. However, Alvarez was much more than just a backup option for the Norwegian star.
Due to Haaland’s presence, the Argentinian international spent more time playing in various attacking midfield roles in season 2023/24. He played a big part in City’s attacking play when he was on the pitch, scoring 19 goals and producing 13 assists in all competitions.
Alvarez started 31 Premier League games last season, which shows that he was a regular in the Citizens’ starting line-up. However, there was always a feeling that he was overshadowed by his teammate up front’s hulking presence.
At Atletico Madrid, he will be regarded as a bigger star and arguably more valued than he is at City. For the player himself, a move to Diego Simeone’s club looks like a good one.
After the summer departure of star striker Alvaro Morata to Milan, Atletico needed an exciting and fresh forward addition. In Alvarez, they look to have signed the ideal player.
Not only is the Argentinian a quality player, but his work rate is also immense, an attribute that is a must for a Simeone team.
It seems like Atletico and Julian Alvarez are a great fit. However, there is a nagging feeling that his departure from City could leave the Citizens slightly short on actual central strikers.
Pep Guardiola knows what he is doing
If this were most other clubs in the European game, I would question them selling one of their only two central forwards. However, this is Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
In modern football, many head coaches have little say in which players leave or stay. Guardiola is not just any head coach, though. He is a bonafide living managerial legend.
The City hierarchy is likely to have consulted the former Barcelona boss on all the departures and potential outgoings in Alvarez’s case. They couldn’t afford not to in case he decided the grass was greener elsewhere.
If Alvarez leaves, which it looks like he will do, Guardiola will still have a plan of attack, even without his main central goal threat, Haaland, in certain games.
He has three exciting young attacking players in Jeremy Doku, Savio, and Norwegian starlet Oscar Bobb. Doku had a good debut campaign in the Premier League.
@natalie_pike He came, he won the premier league in his first season! #doku #jeremydoku #mancityparade
However, the season of experience in the English top flight will have taught him a lot, and he could be even better in the new campaign.
Bobb’s an interesting player, as he only started two top-flight games last season. However, he made 12 appearances from the bench, scoring one top-flight goal and producing an assist.
Despite the lack of attacking contributions, he showed enough to believe that he could well be good enough to feature slightly more regularly for the Citizens in season 2024/25.
The trio are all viable attacking options. That’s without talking about the effect on the City attack of the more senior players such as Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden.
It wouldn’t be surprising if City were even better in attack next season without Alvarez, as Guardiola very rarely rests on his laurels.
After the last few seasons, you certainly wouldn’t back against City producing an even better campaign in which they are even more prolific in attack.
Will the English champions have a stronger or weaker attack in season 2024/25?