Manchester City News

Tottenham Hotspur could be dealt a major blow this summer, with Manchester City eyeing up a blockbuster deal.

Both Manchester City and Tottenham are expected to be very busy indeed in the summer transfer window, with Pep Guardiola and Ange Postecoglou desperate to bolster their respective ranks.

Guardiola is said to be planning a huge squad overhaul at The Etihad this summer, with as many as eight Manchester City players apparently set to leave the club.

There will undoubtedly be a huge turnover of players at Spurs as well.

Numerous players have let down Pep this season, especially in the attacking department.

And despite having already added Omar Marmoush to his ranks in January, the Man City manager could be set to make another big splash in the transfer market this summer.

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Manchester City could scupper Tottenham’s plans by signing Trincao

Trincao seems all set to leave Sporting before the start of next season.

It has been claimed that Man City are one of the leading contenders to sign Trincao million this summer.

It has been suggested that he could cost as much as £66 million (A Bola).

Tottenham are very keen to bring the former Barcelona man to north London as well.

Trincao is the kind of player who would take Spurs to a whole new level entirely, so Man City’s interest in the Portuguese ace will be far from ideal for Ange Postecoglou.

The 25-year-old can change a game at the drop of a hat with his technical brilliance and elite creativity.

He has nine goals and 15 assists to his name in 43 games for Sporting this season (Transfermarkt).

Trincao would instantly make Man City a much more potent threat inside the final third, and he definitely would help get the best out of Erling Haaland with his crossing ability.

If Pep Guardiola does bring the Sporting ace to The Etihad, it would seriously damage Tottenham’s summer plans.

Man City could lose a player to Tottenham as well

Whilst City may well get one up on Spurs this summer, the north London outfit could get their own back.

Troy Deeney has suggested that Jack Grealish could join Tottenham this summer.

Grealish has really struggled for Man City this season, and he clearly desperately needs a move away from The Etihad.

A switch to Spurs may well suit the former Aston Villa man.

It seems like there could be plenty of transfer activity involving Manchester City and Tottenham this summer.

Manchester City could be in the market for a new right-back next summer – and one target looks to be the ideal Kyle Walker replacement.

Walker has struggled so far this season, having also failed to impress at Euro 2024 with England.

Walker’s form for City hasn’t been good for a while now, and it’s clear he is declining. this term, we’ve seen him all over the place defensively, and players are now starting to beat him in footraces. The likes of Ola Aina, Adama Traore, Antoine Semeyo and Timo Werner have all had the better of him this term.

It was reported recently that City would be open to selling Walker for around £15 million next summer. He’s previously had interest from Bayern Munich, and also from the Saudi Pro League.

Manchester City absolutely need to be preparing to sign a replacement, and Pedro Porro is certainly looking like a great option.

Pedro Porro is the highest-rated Premier League right-back so far

Tottenham Hotspur right-back Porro is currently the highest-rated Premier League right-back.

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He has the highest average match rating on WhoScored so far with 7.13.

He’s ahead of Noussair Mazraoui (7.05), Trent Alexander-Arnold (7.04), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (6.96) and James Justin (6.86).

Walker currently has a rating of 6.36 – making him the fourth-lowest rated player in the whole Manchester City squad so far this season (via WhoScored).

Man City are interested in Porro – and so they should be

It was reported recently that Manchester City have their sights on Porro, but that he would cost around £80 million to prise away from Spurs.

That’s a lot of money to pay, and a fee that City probably wouldn’t want to go near, especially since Porro was actually once on the books at City, although he never made a first-team appearance.

But the club should definitely be looking to bring him in, because his profile is made for City.

Porro is technical and an athlete, and is a right-back with pretty solid attacking numbers. In 68 games, he’s scored nine goals and made 12 assists. For Sporting CP, he scored 12 and got 20 assists in 98 games.

Porro is also fairly solid defensively. As per fbref data, he places in the 83rd percentile of players for interceptions per 90 across the last 365 days, with a value of 1.29.

And he’s in the 87th percentile for blocks made per 90 (1.57).

So that’s a full-back who can make things happen in the final third and also defend to a good standard. He’s surely at least worth making some enquiries about.

Manchester City were condemned to a fifth straight defeat by Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday – and there was one player who really ran the show at the Etihad Stadium.

Pep Guardiola admitted City are ‘fragile defensively’ at the moment, as the team shipped four more goals.

James Maddison scored twice in the first-half for Spurs, with City players guilty of not tracking runners. Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson struck in the second-half, leaving Pep Guardiola to pick the bones out of a chastening defeat.

Spurs do tend to give City trouble when the teams meet.

And someone who often has an impact is Dejan Kulusevski, who at this point, is someone Manchester City should genuinely consider going after next year.

Dejan Kulusevski shone for Tottenham against Man City

Maddison was probably the headline-maker against City with his two goals, but Dejan Kulusevski really was superb for the visitors.

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The Sweden international has been enjoying a fantastic season so far, and rocked up to the Etihad Stadium full of confidence.

He operated in the right half-space, allowing for overlaps from Pedro Porro and City just couldn’t really handle him.

Kulusevski wasn’t actually involved particularly heavily. As per Sofascore, nine Spurs players had more than his 34 touches in the game. However, his use of the ball when he got it was excellent, supplying four key passes, with one of those being an assist for Maddison.

He was also superb in terms of his dribbling, completing all four of the ones he attempted.

Pundit Gary Neville, who commentated on the game, raved about Kulusevski, saying on Sky Sports (via Hotspur Related): “Kulusevski was special out there. The way he ran past players, with his quality and strength, it was an absolutely fantastic performance.”

Why Man City need to consider signing Dejan Kulusevski

Ahead of the game with City, Sky Sports interviewed Kulusevski, and also offered some statistics about him this season.

He had created the most chances of any Premier League player (30), and also the most chances from open play (25).

Across all competitions he has six assists in 18 appearances so far, indicating that he really has been making things happen in the final third.

As City fans well know, there is a chance Kevin De Bruyne could be leaving the club next year when his current contract expires and a new creator could be required to replace him.

But Kulusevski is not just someone who’s creative. He’s also tenacious and hardworking. Before the game with City, he was first of all Premier League players for most possessions won in the final third (16).

Kulusevski is quoted as saying: “I try to kill you not only with the ball, but also without the ball. In basketball, you have to do both parts. The best players are also the best defenders. It’s not quite the same in football, but that is what I want to do. I want to do both parts of the game as well as possible.”

Kulusevski is undeniably a Pep Guardiola player, and is someone the club ought to consider trying to sign next summer, with incoming director of football Hugo Viana reportedly set to receive a ‘significant transfer war chest’.

Kulusevski – who signed for Spurs for £25 million after a loan spell – has a contract until 2028 so he would undoubtedly be extremely expensive. But between his creativity, work rate, versatility and leadership, City would be fools not to attempt a move.

Manchester City resumed their 2024/25 Premier League campaign in the worst way possible.

After getting through the November international break – prior to which they lost four games in a row – City were thrashed 4-0 by Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium.

For a final blow, Brennan Johnson scored the fourth and final match of the game in injury time, which led to Pep Guardiola’s side becoming the first reigning top-flight champions to lose five games in a row in all competitions since Chelsea in March 1956.

After the game, a pundit and former Premier League player took it upon himself to share what he considers to be the main problems the Blues have at the moment.

Jamie Redknapp lists Man City issues after Tottenham embarrassment

Speaking on Sky Sports after the match, Jamie Redknapp gave this extensive assessment of what’s wrong with City at the moment and the problems they’re facing.

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He said: “Man City are too easy to play against. Everyone will talk about Rodri because of the impact that he has but it isn’t just him. There’s [Mateo] Kovacic, Ruben Dias, who is a leader in the back four, they miss him.

“[Kevin] De Bruyne is in and out of the team – not at his best. [Julian] Alvarez is a massive blow to this team where you could bring him on.

“Man City are off it, they are short. Things aren’t quite clicking.

Redknapp then went on to add this (via Sky Sports) about some of the players City did have on the pitch against Spurs.

“[Ilkay] Gundogan couldn’t get around the pitch, he couldn’t near anybody. The balance wasn’t right with [Phil] Foden, [Bernardo] Silva and [Rico] Lewis.

“The fact you can’t score a goal against the two centre-backs of Davies and Dragusin, that’s the biggest worry. They didn’t have a clinical edge.”

City can attempt to fix these problems in January

With the January transfer window approaching, City can use the winter market to strengthen their squad.

After Rodri suffered a season-ending injury back in September, Guardiola said a midfielder could be signed in January as a replacement for the Spaniard.

With Redknapp also mentioning the absence of Alvarez following his summer transfer move to Atletico Madrid, it was reported earlier this month that City could sign a backup striker in January.

However, with City having a significant number of crucial Premier League and Champions League games to get through before the January transfer window opens, this will be the club’s main focus before their attention can be turned to the winter market period.

Manchester City fell to a troubling 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in their first match back from the November international break.

City found themselves 2-0 down after 20 minutes with James Maddison bagging both of them.

Seven minutes into the second half, Pedro Porro scored the third as Pep Guardiola’s side still attempted to mount a comeback.

However, Brennan Johnson scored the fourth and final goal of the match for Ange Postecoglou’s side to rub salt in the wounds for the champions at the Etihad Stadium.

Once this goal went in, a pundit and former Premier League star made an observation about what he saw from one particular City player on the night which hasn’t painted him in a positive light.

Gary Neville exposes ‘struggling’ Kyle Walker after key moment in Man City vs Tottenham

After seeing Kyle Walker get beat in a footrace by Timo Werner in the build-up to Tottenham’s fourth goal, Gary Neville gave this reaction during his TV commentary on Sky Sports.

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He said: “Goodness. Gracious. Me. You don’t see that very often, but we’ve seen it a few times in the last couple of weeks.

“Vinicius Junior, [Kylian] Mbappe, he’s handled them all, Walker, but he’s struggling at this moment in time.”

Walker has already been beaten in a race this season

During City’s 3-2 win over Fulham earlier in the season, Walker was outpaced and overpowered by Adama Traore which led to the Spaniard getting into a one-v-one situation with Ederson and getting a shot away.

This then led to Walker explaining how Traore outpaced him and what his reaction was to the incident, saying this on the subject.

He said: “I just base myself on that I’m quick, I thought that I had him, it’s not an excuse, he beat me fair and square, but I’m going to remember it.

“My arm should have come across but, you know, when I start running backwards [towards goal], nine times out of 10 people just stop, but he obviously backs himself so much, just like I do, he’s thought, “I can actually catch this”.

“And next minute he’s actually in front of me and I’ve tried to give him the arm to try to claw a little bit back, he’s that strong. From what I’ve seen he could be up there with me.”

In the Spurs game, the 34-year-old may have been beaten by a fresh-legged Werner right at the end of the game, but the fact that it led to a goal and isn’t the first time it’s happened this season makes it easy to see why Neville has made this observation about the City captain.

Taking all of that on board, it’s hard not to see more questions being raised about Walker, presumably about if he is now past his peak in terms of being a top physical athlete and a top defender.

Manchester City returned to Premier League action on Saturday night with a clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

In what has been a recurring theme for City this season – especially at the Etihad Stadium – they conceded first, with James Maddison opening the scoring in the 13th minute.

Maddison then doubled Spurs lead just seven minutes later, with Spurs capitalising on a mistake made by Josko Gvardiol.

Seven minutes into the second half, Pedro Porro got a third for Ange Postecoglou’s side. To add insult to injury, Brennan Johnson bagged a fourth goal to put the final nail in the coffin on what was a poor showing from the Blues.

With Spurs walking away with three points and a 4-0 scoreline, Pep Guardiola’s team have now lost three Premier League games in a row.

Let’s now go through the player ratings for what was a disheartening evening for the champions.

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Ederson – 4

Caught out in the first half and didn’t command his box enough. Will be disappointed with the goals conceded, but the blame cannot be solely put on City’s goalkeeper.

Kyle Walker – 3

Beaten in a footrace by Timo Werner in injury time which led to Spurs’ fourth goal of the match.

John Stones – 5

Subbed at halftime and replaced by Nathan Ake. Stones was neat on the ball but was caught out by Maddison for Spurs’ first goal and then duped by the overlap that led to his fellow countryman doubling the away side’s lead.

Manuel Akanji – 4

Part of a backline that conceded four goals whilst moving in and out of a messy midfield. A mix-up in injury time led to Tottenham’s final goal of the match.

Josko Gvardiol – 3

Made a costly error that led to Tottenham’s second goal but did offer an attacking threat in the second half.

Rico Lewis – 4

No one can question Lewis’ commitment or the effort he puts in, but his physicality and defensive awareness out of possession is a big problem. Had some attempts at goal in the second half before being taken off for Kevin De Bruyne in the 73rd minute.

Ilkay Gundogan – 3

Offered little protection to the backline. Runs like he’s wading through mud despite having a two-week break. Nowhere near sharp enough, nowhere near the player who captained City to the Treble. Improved in the second half when the Blues had control of possession and pushed Spurs back, but too easily exposed.

Bernardo Silva – 5

As usual, Silva got around the pitch trying to tie things together with neat passing most of the time. Although out of possession, he showed that he can’t snub out danger.

Savinho – 3

Carried a danger when he got on the ball and had space to run into. However, his final pass or shooting accuracy continued to let the winger down. Another frustrating day for the Brazilian who just needs some luck to go his way in front of goal. Subbed off for Jack Grealish after 73 minutes.

Phil Foden – 4

Similar to Savinho, Foden had some threat about him but couldn’t produce that bit of magic to give his side a much-needed goal. Last season’s Premier League Player of the Season just hasn’t got going in this campaign.

Erling Haaland – 4

Had chances throughout the game but couldn’t find the back of the net. Hit the woodwork in the second half. The Norwegian just isn’t getting the service he needs consistently. With City lacking in other areas of the pitch, Haaland must find his clinical edge to push his side forward and get them through games.

Manchester City’s Premier League campaign is set to resume this weekend.

Following the November international break, City will be welcoming Tottenham Hotspur to the Etihad Stadium for their latest league fixtures of the season.

Prior to the break, Pep Guardiola saw his side lose four games in a row for the first time ever.

With that in mind, the Blues will be desperate to secure a victory in their first opportunity to do so in an effort to get their season back on track.

Looking ahead to this big game against Ange Postecoglou’s side – who knocked City out of the Carabao Cup and kickstarted their poor run of form – let’s take a look at what Guardiola’s starting line-up could be.

Man City predicted starting XI vs Tottenham Hotspur

In goal, having started all of City’s league games so far this season, Ederson is likely to be one of the first names on the teamsheet and will be hoping to keep what would be the club’s third clean sheet of the campaign.

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At right-back, Guardiola could pick another player who has played a prominent role in the team this season in the shape of Rico Lewis to see if he’s up for the challenge of keeping Son Heung-min quiet.

On the left, Josko Gvardiol will likely be called upon again despite Nathan Ake returning to training recently and getting closer to full fitness.

For the two centre-back roles, Guardiola should be starting John Stones – who City paid £50m to sign back in 2016 – and Manuel Akanji with the duo back in training recently.

Moving into the midfield – with Mateo Kovacic out injured – Ilkay Gundogan will likely start and be someone Guardiola will now be relying on with the Croatian out of action.

Next to the German, Kevin De Bruyne could make his first start since recovering from an injury he picked up back in September.

For the final midfield position, Bernardo Silva – who got an early departure from international duty – will likely be fresh and ready to take on Spurs, making him an ideal starter for the Blues.

For the attack, Savinho will be desperate to finally grab his first goal for the club. Having delivered five assists in 15 appearances this season, the Brazilian will certainly provide a goal threat against Spurs.

Another very likely starter is Erling Haaland, who bagged four goals across the two games he played for Norway over the international break. With Spurs set to be without their centre-back pairing of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, this will be a game Haaland could have a big impact on in front of goal.

Finally, having dropped out of the England squad for the recent international break, Phil Foden should be well-rested and raring to go so he can help his side get over their poor run of form.

Manchester City will be back in action this weekend following the latest international break.

Specifically, City will be taking on Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday.

Prior to the November international break, Pep Guardiola saw his side lose four games in a row, which is something that one of his teams had never done before.

In fact, Guardiola admitted that City needed the break after losing 2-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion.

With the Blues now having the chance to get their season back on track and put their poor run of form behind them, a pundit has shared his early prediction for what is a crucial game for the Manchester club.

Paul Merson drops prediction for Man City vs Tottenham Hotspur

In his latest column for Sportskeeda where he previewed and predicted the results for all of this weekend’s Premier League fixtures, Paul Merson gave this assessment of City’s upcoming match against Spurs.

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He said: “If someone would have said to me at the start of the season that Manchester City would lose four games in a row, I would have said never in a million years! Yet, here we are.

“It doesn’t get any easier for them this weekend, Tottenham are a tough opponent. But then again, Tottenham are Spursy. Who would have thought they would get beat by Ipswich?

“Still, it wouldn’t shock me if Spurs get a result here simply because Manchester City have not been Manchester City for a while now.

“Since the draw against Newcastle, barring the wins over Slovan Bratislava and Sparta Prague, City have not wiped the floor with anyone like we are used to seeing.

“I just can’t imagine them losing five in a row, that’s why I’m going for a City win here. But I can assure you it won’t be an easy win.

“Tottenham have history of getting results against City, it goes back a long time. I remember them getting a result under Harry Redknapp to qualify for Europe, thanks to a goal from Peter Crouch. So it’s a tricky game.

“There is no pressure on Tottenham this week and if they click, I think they have a chance. That’s why I say I wouldn’t be shocked if Spurs get a result.”

City need to turn a corner

Having entered the November break in such dire form, everyone at the Manchester club will be desperate to put things right and secure a win against Ange Postecoglou’s side this weekend.

In fact, it was their 2-1 defeat to Spurs in the Carabao Cup at the end of October that started City’s quartet of defeats.

Therefore, there should be an element of revenge in the City players’ minds heading into this latest meeting against the Lilywhites.

The club recently announced that Guardiola has signed a two-year contract extension, which should give the City players and fans a big boost and raise the atmosphere and energy at the Etihad this weekend.

Even though Spurs are currently seven points below the Citizens in the league table, the home side should still be wary of the threat they carry, especially given how City have only won three of their past 10 league matches against the North London club.

Manchester City released their new documentary last night, and there’s one admission from Erling Haaland that fans will certainly relate to.

Manchester City won the Premier League for a fourth consecutive season last time out, and the club filmed behind-the-scenes footage throughout the campaign.

The documentary has some very revealing moments, such as Pep Guardiola’s reaction to Rodri getting a red card against Nottingham Forest.

Fans can also see Guardiola’s worldless team meeting that impressed Khaldoon Al Mubarak.

One of the most significant moments of last season came when City went to play against Tottenham Hotspur in their penultimate Premier League game.

What Haaland thought when Son raced through against Ortega

City were in the ascendency during the final couple of months of the 2023/24 season.

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It’s often the case that the team reach their best level at the business end, but everyone knew the game against Spurs would be tough.

Against Spurs, City had taken the lead through Erling Haaland, but then late on, Heung-min Son race through against Stefan Ortega.

It was a major moment in the season. If Son would have scored, City may well have dropped points and the title race would have been in Arsenal’s hands going into the final day.

But Ortega made an incredible save. At the time, Jamie Carragher claimed Ortega won Manchester City the Premier League title in that moment.

In the new documentary, there’s a scene where Khaldoon Al Mubarak is talking to some of the players in the canteen about Ortega’s save, with Ortega present himself.

Khaldoon asked Haaland what was going through his head when Son raced through, with the Norwegian making an admission many fans will agree with.

He replied: “The whole world stopped.”

What Pep Guardiola thought as Son raced through against Ortega

Haaland wasn’t the only one to have feared the worst when Son was bearing down on goal.

Guardiola genuinely feared that City were about to lose the title, admitting that Son has given City so much trouble in the past.

He said at the time (via football.london): “You know how many times Son punishes us the last seven, eight years? How many goals they score with Harry Kane? Oh my god.

“We define here how is the team. Ortega saves the actions, otherwise Arsenal are champions, that is the reality. Margins are so tight.

“Stefan makes an incredible save. He has this talent, one vs one he is one of the best keepers I’ve seen in my entire life. He has the German culture, stand up, don’t go down. Since I arrive, in the FA Cup and Carabao Cups. Ederson has had four injuries [this season]. He is so reliable, an incredible keeper. Our keeper trainer made an incredible decision to sign him.”

Thankfully after Ortega’s incredible save, City saw the game out with Haaland scoring again from the penalty spot, before beating West Ham United on the final day to seal the title.

Manchester City are back in Premier League action this weekend following another international break.

Saturday will see City back at the Etihad Stadium for the first time since their 1-0 win over Southampton last month.

This time around, Pep Guardiola’s side will be taking on Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League.

With City having lost their four previous games, the first of which was their 2-1 defeat to Ange Postecoglou’s side in the Carabao Cup, Guardiola admitted City needed the international break to arrive when it did.

Looking ahead to this weekend’s big clash with the Lilywhites, some big behind-the-scenes details have come to light regarding one particular Spurs player and his potential availability.

Tottenham Hotspur to appeal Rodrigo Bentancur ban ahead of Man City clash

Earlier this week, Rodrigo Bentancur was sanctioned to a seven-game ban by the FA for making a racist remark about fellow Spurs teammate Son Heung-min in a live TV interview.

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The North London club have now made a statement regarding the ban and the next step they’ll be taking on the matter.

The statement, shared on the official Tottenham Hotspur website, said this on the subject.

It said: “We can confirm that the Club has appealed against the length of Rodrigo Bentancur’s FA suspension, issued earlier this week.

“While we accept the guilty finding against Rodrigo by the independent regulatory commission, we believe the subsequent sanction is severe.

“Rodrigo will remain suspended from domestic competitions while the appeal is heard and the Club will make no further comment during this time.”

What does this mean for City’s upcoming match against Spurs?

The seven-game ban, while allowing Bentancur to feature in the Europa League, will see the midfielder not return to domestic action until 26 December, missing Premier League matches against Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, among others, as well as the North London club’s Carabao Cup quarter-final tie against Manchester United.

Even though Spurs are looking to appeal the severity of Bentancur’s ban, the midfielder will still be banned for this weekend’s match against City.

Having completed the 90 minutes in the Cup game against the Blues last month, the Uruguayan made six clearances and five tackles in the match, highlighting his defensive capabilities.

Now that he won’t be featuring in Saturday’s game, this could make Spurs much more susceptible defensively which could work in City’s favour.