Manchester City have their first chance at the title on Saturday. Pep Guardiola was delighted with Stefan Ortega Moreno the day before – and explained why the Citizens are keeping a low profile on the transfer market
When the ball rolls at Wembley on Saturday afternoon in the Community Shield from 4pm, Pep Guardiola will have his sights firmly set on his next title with Manchester City. Especially as the desire for revenge is likely to arise: The Skyblues surprisingly lost their last competitive match to date at the same venue on May 25 with a 2-1 defeat to eventual FA Cup winners Manchester United.
Frustration buying? Not at all. Unlike in previous transfer windows, ManCity kept a low profile in the player market in preparation for the new season. The reigning English champions only spent 25 million euros on the signing of Savinho. A move that also raised questions
While West Ham United and Chelsea FC, for example, are digging deep into their wallets, things remain quiet around Manchester City. Guardiola had a fitting explanation at the press conference ahead of the Community Shield: “If I have a concern, I’ll speak to my sporting director Txiki Begiristain. We’ll see, but we don’t want to spend a lot of money on players who won’t play many games. If we need someone, it has to be the right price.”
The scaffolding at Manchester City is in place, after all, key players were not sold in the summer. Sales such as that of Sergio Gomez (to Real Sociedad) and Yan Couto (to BVB) are manageable and can be absorbed within the squad. It remains to be seen whether this would also be the case in the event of Julian Alvarez’s increasingly likely transfer to Atletico.
“We’ll see at the end of the transfer window whether a club needs to sell more,” Guardiola added: “We’ve had a good summer of transfers in terms of income and clubs are waiting for us with a red carpet anyway.” A “curse” of days gone by, when money played no role in acquisitions
“Great relief” about Ederson’s whereabouts
Meanwhile, Guardiola is delighted with the situation between the posts. Ederson, who the Man City coach wanted to keep “from the bottom of his heart”, recently saw a move to Saudi Arabia fall through. Guardiola called it “a great relief” that he can continue to rely on the Brazilian and Stefan Ortega Moreno in the coming season.
“It’s always difficult to replace a goalkeeper the way we play,” Guardiola said of his strong keepers: “I’m very happy that Ederson is staying and congratulations to Stefan, who deserves a contract extension because he’s been so good over the last two years. “
