Man City are paying the price for their TERRIBLE transfer business

Pep Guardiola suffered a fifth consecutive defeat for the first time in his managerial career as Manchester City suffered a stunning 4-0 home loss to Tottenham.

City have struggled since seeing Ballon d’Or winner Rodri suffer an ACL injury in September, losing five straight games in all competitions and seeing Spurs end their 52-match unbeaten run at home.

With Mateo Kovacic also picking up an injury during the international break, Guardiola opted to field 20-year-old Rico Lewis in midfield alongside the veteran Ilkay Gundogan to try and curb City’s disastrous form.

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But the pair’s combination proved only to combine inexperience with a star in decline, leading to disastrous consequences and City falling five points off leaders Liverpool, who are yet to play this weekend.

City made just two signings during the summer in young winger Savinho and the returning presence of Gundogan but neither have yet to provide the impact expected of them.

The failure to add sufficient quality in depth despite warning signs appears to be costing City as they continue their worst run of form in more than 18 years.

City

Despite their riches, City have been outspent by Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal over the last five seasons, while their net spend is still only the eighth-highest across all Premier League sides in that time frame.

The numbers, of course, don’t take into account the huge amounts spent prior to that on assembling an elite squad for the long-term, as well as City’s ongoing legal battle surrounding their 115 financial charges.

However, City have opted to pursue younger and unproven talents in recent years, with Erling Haaland’s arrival in 2022 perhaps the last time a true, high-pedigree superstar was signed.

The quality in depth outside the club’s core has shrunk to the point where Guardiola is regularly fielding inexperienced academy youngsters on the bench, while even elite stars such as Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker have begun to regress with their fitness and reliability.

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Yet City have failed to truly build a succession plan to their ageing stars, which led to Gundogan effectively replacing himself when he rejoined the club this summer after one season at Barcelona.

And the 34-year-old has looked a shell of his former self, begging the question why City failed to sign a top quality replacement for him or integrate signings such as Matheus Nunes properly.

Having seen Real Madrid suffer a similar situation this season, it could be argued that this is simply the end of the cycle that all elite clubs eventually reach particularly when stars like De Bruyne eventually move on.

Guardiola’s new contract this week means the Spaniard will be tied down to a tenth year at the club but his biggest challenge yet will be to rebuild the squad to ensure his high standards do not continue to drop as they appear to have done so far.