Without wishing to sound blasphemous, City fans worldwide probably shouted ‘Jesus’ when news of their star signing getting crocked came through, such had been the impact of their high-profile January signing from Brazil.
Having scored in his first two league starts for City following his £27 million move from Palmeiras, teenage international Gabriel Jesus had proved an instant hit amongst the Sky Blues faithful. However, the 19-year-old’s bubble burst when he broke the metatarsal in his foot during City’s 2-0 win over Bournemouth.
City will now be without Jesus for three months and that’s clearly a blow to their title chances as, with him up front alongside Leroy Sane and Raheem Sterling, they had looked a lot more dangerous in front of goal.
With that three-pronged attack in place City moved up from fifth in the Premier League table to second, and in his first game out of the side Pep Guardiola’s troops were held to a goalless draw away to Championship outfit Huddersfield in last weekend’s F.A. Cup tie. A coincidence? We think not.
With transfers embargoed now until the summer, Guardiola has no choice but to put his faith in Sergio Aguero – a player who has so far failed to convince the former Barcelona boss that he’s not living on reputation alone.
Long-term, if the latest transfer rumours are to be believed, City appear to be more focused on bringing an attacking midfielder to the club – despite having Sterling, Sané, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva on the books - rather than an out-and-out striker.
The most eye-catching rumour centres around an audacious £100 million bid for Barcelona’s Lionel Messi. Talk of Messi moving on from the Nou Camp and seeking a new challenge has been doing the rounds for a while now and he obviously has a strong bond with Guardiola following their time together at the Catalan club. Realistically however, even with this £20 MarathonBet promotion, most tipsters would find it hard to lay odds on this one coming true.
Monaco’s 22-year-old attacking midfielder, Bernardo Silva, is another target according to newspaper reports. City are believed to be one of a clutch of clubs – Chelsea and Manchester United are amongst them – interested in bringing the £70 million-rated player to the Premier League. However, hardly a day passes by without City being linked with a player from the Principality club so how much credibility there is to the speculation is entirely questionable.
City’s goalkeeper has been another position under scrutiny ever since England’s No.1 stopper Joe Hart packed his bags and went on loan to Torino. Hart’s exit is to be made permanent in the summer, despite his recent blunders, and City are looking for a tailor-made English replacement. Pep Guardiola is thought to want Sunderland keeper Jordan Pickford to rival Claudio Bravo in the nets next season but could face competition from Everton. Having made it into the England training squad, Pickford has made it clear he needs to be playing in the Premier League next season. With the Black Cats’ top-flight status uncertain, it looks nailed on that Pickford, as his name suggests, will pack his bags and move.