Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is openly admitting that one of his transfers has hugely backfired for the Premier League champions.
That's according to one report, following the midweek catastrophe away to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The Citizens stormed into a two-goal lead through Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland in the second half in the Parc des Princes, before a Bradley Barcola masterclass sealed all three points for PSG in an emphatic 4-2 comeback.
The result leaves Manchester City languishing in the elimination spots of the Champions League's league phase, needing a win on the final matchday and hoping that other results fall into place for them – and with the club enduring a tough season, Guardiola is said to be scratching his head over mistakes made off the field.
Manchester City are spending big to correct a bad mis-step in the transfer market
City have had a frenetic transfer window in which they confirmed the arrivals of defensive duo Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis, before adding Egyptian forward Omar Marmoush, ranked at no.9 in FourFourTwo's list of the best strikers in the world right now.
This is already a record winter window for City, with transfer expert Ben Jacobs telling FourFourTwo on January 13 that they may exceed the spending of every top-flight club this time last year, saying, “I think it was £112 million spent by Premier League clubs – now Man City could be on course to surpass that tally alone.”
But for all the big-money transfer moves made this month, Guardiola regrets letting Julian Alvarez leave the Etihad Stadium last year, Spanish outlet Fichajes reports.
Alvarez joined City from River Plate during January of 2022, going back on loan before linking up with the first-team squad. He won the Treble in his first season – along with the World Cup – but left for Atletico Madrid over the summer to seek more first-team opportunities.
The 24-year-old has been in fine fettle in the Spanish capital. Having netted 16 goals in his first 31 appearances for Los Colchoneros – including six in seven Champions League games – Alvarez has not just offered threat in the final third, but been key to Diego Simeone's tactical evolution this season, which has seen a more positionally-fluid Atleti challenge for the La Liga title alongside Real Madrid and Barcelona.
“The Argentine striker has dazzled at the Metropolitano, showing an extraordinary performance that has led Pep Guardiola to publicly admit that letting him go was a serious mistake,” the report states.
“Despite the €75 million that the English team received for his transfer, voices of regret have not ceased. Guardiola admits he underestimated the impact the player could continue to have on his squad.”
Alvarez was a record sale when he left City, with his eye-watering fee to La Liga helping to break the Citizens' record for transfer income for a season. With other forwards such as Leroy Sane, Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero leaving City in recent seasons, it's a surprise that Guardiola has rued letting go of this particular attacker.
In FourFourTwo's opinion, Alvarez's versatility is what City miss. He could play Erling Haaland's role, deputise for Kevin De Bruyne and was capable in just about any role in the final third – and while Guardiola may wish he hadn't sold the star, he probably regrets not signing a replacement a lot more.
Alvarez is worth €80m, according to Transfermarkt. City host Chelsea this weekend when Premier League action returns.
