A few months remain, and with City performing so well in the Championship, January moves are not absolutely necessary, but it won’t stop them from considering potential business deals.
Given Leicester City’s season-opening performance, January transfer action might not appear required.
When City signed Harry Souttar, Victor Kristiansen, and Tete at the beginning of this year in an effort to avoid relegation, it was often the sign of the desperate. City won’t need to make any new additions right away, even if they experience a slight decline in performance between now and the new year.
That does not imply, however, that there won’t be any deals at all. The recruitment team working behind the scenes will be considering the possibility of a few inbound and outgoing hires. Here are some potential outcomes.
Enzo Maresca has denied that City has a deep roster, although he would undoubtedly concede that they have too many goalkeepers. Five are not necessary.
With Mads Hermansen’s arrival and Jakub Stolarczyk’s ascent, Danny Ward and Daniel Iversen—who were the team’s first and second goalkeepers, respectively, at separate points during the previous season—have been demoted to selections three and four, and it is probable that both will go in January.
Although Ward’s lack of club experience hasn’t hurt his international career thus far—he is still Wales’ top player—he will probably want playing time between now and next summer in order to maximize his chances of holding that position and staying healthy should qualification for the Euros be guaranteed.
Iversen, who is even lower on the hierarchy, will prefer a new team that recognizes his ability to stop shots. If he finds the proper team, he has a very solid career in the game, as demonstrated by his loan season at Preston two years ago. He ought to spark attention.
Daka might go along with Souttar, perhaps.
A deal for Patson Daka is likely because he came dangerously close to joining Bournemouth on deadline day in the summer and has only mustered one substitute appearance in the Carabao Cup since then. And that’s even before taking Tom Cannon’s fitness into account. When the £7.5 million Everton acquisition is fully healthy, Daka will be relegated to the sidelines even further. With Daka’s attention focused on Zambia’s performance in the competition, it appears that the only thing stopping him from departing during the winter transfer window is the Africa Cup of Nations. The start date is January 13.
Though not much more, Harry Souttar has had more opportunities than Daka. He was also on the verge of departing during the last week of the summer window, and he might be eager to seek elsewhere for more regular football if his playing time does not increase.
A fresh defender might show up.
This is especially true given that City may recruit a new defender in January. Due to Callum Doyle’s knee injury, which will keep him out until the new year, City is lacking in left-footed alternatives in the defense, and Maresca has made it apparent that James Justin’s substitutions do affect the way his squad can play.
For the rest of the season, City won’t want to find themselves in a similar predicament, but they also need to take into account the likelihood that Doyle will rejoin Manchester City at the conclusion of the current one. It makes logical to bolster their ranks in that scenario.
City will want to avoid a situation like this for the remainder of the season, but they also need to consider the possibility that Doyle will return to Manchester City when this one ends. In that case, it makes sense to bolster their ranks.
Maresca’s evolving perspective on Yunus Akgun might also be significant. Although Maresca initially saw the Turk as a right-wing option, he now sees him mostly as a midfielder with the ability to play out wide. Should the manager maintain that stance, City might not require reinforcement in the park’s middle.
