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Aside from his tactical genius, one reason Manchester City have become a more formidable team under Pep Guardiola is the kind of talent he has recruited.
Since becoming City's manager, Guardiola has spent over €1bn in the transfer market to build his team (as per Marca). The likes of Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias, Rodri, and Kyle Walker are some of the most expensive signings who have excelled under his tetulage.
City have also agreed a deal in principle to bring Norwegian star Erling Haaland to the Etihad.
As the saying goes - to whom much is given, much is expected from. However, not all the big-money signings made by Guardiola at City have been a hit. Some of the players he signed have failed to live up to expectations or justify their price tag.
This article will be about three Etihad big-money signings made by Pep Guardiola who failed to deliver.
#1 Benjamin Mendy
Benjamin Mendy was part of Leonardo Jardim's AS Monaco side who were formidable in the 2016-17 season. In that campaign, Mendy was one of the best full-backs in Europe. He featured 39 times across competitions, providing 11 assists as Monaco lifted Ligue 1 and reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League.
This prompted Manchester City to cough out £52m (a world record transfer fee for a defender at the time) to bring him to England. In his first season at the club, he suffered a knee injury which sidelined him for seven months, limiting him to only eight appearances across competitions.
From then onward, there has been one injury or the other. The only season where he managed to stay fully fit was the 2019-20 season where he featured 30 times across competitions, registering four assists.
Mendy is still on City's books until the summer of 2023, but is currently frozen out of the squad due to his off-the-field issues. The 27-year old is being charged with rape and sexual assault and may never play football, let alone for the Citizens, again.
#2 Ferran Torres
Another big-money signing by Guardiola that failed to meet expectations was Ferran Torres. Following David Silva's exit from the club in 2020, City returned to Valencia (Silva's club before joining Manchester City) with hopes of getting a replacement.
A fee in the region of £20.8m (according to Sky Sports) was paid to Los Ches to acquire the service of Torres, who had scored nine goals in 97 apperances for the club. Torres looked like someone who would transform into a world-class player under Pep
However, after a season and a half, the 22-year-old is no longer at Manchester City.The Spanish forward left for Barcelona in january 2022 having made just 43 appearances and scoring 16 goals for the Citizens.
#1 Jack Grealish (Manchester City's record signing)
One may say it is too soon for Grealish to be on this list yet. But if you are the most expensive signing in the history of British football, you have to be ready for thorough scrutiny.
This season, Grealish has failed to show signs that he is worth the £100m Manchester City paid to Aston Villa for services. His all-round performances have been a contrast to his days at Aston Villa.
The season before joining City, he scored six goals and provided 12 assists in 26 league appearances. But this season, in 24 league appearances, Grealish has registered just two goals and three assists. His goal and assist ratio has dropped drastically despite playing for a much better team.
However, unlike Mendy and Torres, Grealish still has time to reedem himself. His contract runs till 2027, which offers him the opportunity to justify the price tag on him.
