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Widely considered as one of the most visionary football minds of the 21st century, Pep Guardiola has enjoyed an illustrious time at Manchester City. The former Barcelona player and head coach revolutionised the way the Cityzens approach the game and has stamped his authority on the league.
Guardiola's first season was one of the worst of the Catalan's career, and it was clear that his squad needed more work in the transfer window. When that eventually happened in his second summer, both him and the club reaped the rewards.
In the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons, his fearless City side accumulated a staggering 198 points and won the title in both seasons. Overall, City have racked up eight domestic trophies, the most of any club in this period, and completed the first and only English treble ever recorded. It is worth mentioning that all of this was done with a breathtaking and expansive style of football as well.
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Despite his stuttering 2019/20 season, Guardiola remains a successful manager in England. The jury's still out on his European endeavours with the Cityzens, which has been the 49-year-old's Achilles heel. In total, Guardiola has overseen an expenditure of €781,408,181 during his time at the helm of Manchester City.
Here, we take a look at five of his best signings at the Etihad Stadium.
#5 Riyad Mahrez | Leicester City | €67.8m
Manchester City have always had an enviable depth in all areas of the pitch. When they completed the €67.8m signing of Riyad Mahrez, he was expected to one of the players that Guardiola could call upon should he wish to — and not an outright starter. He had only a bit-part role to play in his debut season, starting 14 league games and came on as a sub in 13 games.
However, he was relied upon more in the recently-concluded season, and his performances have virtually ensured his place in the team. The mercurial Man City winger registered 11 goals and nine assists in 33 games, starting 21 of those.
Mahrez has truly provided City with a cutting edge in attack, and his breathtaking dribbling ability on the ball has been a joy to watch.
Overall, he's played just over 90 games for the Cityzens, scoring 25 and assisting 28. With Leroy Sane having departed Manchester as well, the two-time Premier League winner has had more opportunities to display his sublime talent.
#4 Kyle Walker | Tottenham Hotspur | €52.70m
Manchester City's then-record €52.70m acquisition of Kyle Walker was met with much criticism at the time. The Englishman was part of a host of full-back recruits, further highlighting the importance of wide defenders for Guardiola. Out of all the full-backs he's spent money on, though, Walker certainly has been the most successful one.
The 30-year-old has started over 30 games in his first two seasons at the Etihad, and an impressive 28 this year despite a few injury concerns late on into the campaign. Widely used as an inverted full-back by Guardiola, Walker has adapted to his philosophy superbly and is one of the best right-backs in the league.
He's brought an endless amount of physicality to a shaky defence, and has displayed his fiery recovery pace on numerous occasions.
Walker will continue to be his manager's go-to right-back, with his backup Joao Cancelo in talks to leave the Etihad. All in all, he has repaid his club and manager's faith in him. He has been crucial for City's domestic success in recent times.
Also read: Top 10 U-21 English talents in football | Premier League 2019-20
#3 Rodri | Atletico Madrid | €70m
Defensive midfield was a bit of a problem area heading into the transfer window for City. This isn't due to the performance levels of club legend Fernandinho, but due to the lack of an able deputy for him. With the Brazilian having turned 34 at the end of last season, the Cityzens turned to Spanish anchorman Rodri. So far, he's had a superb impact at the Etihad Stadium since his €70m move.
The 24-year-old has taken to Premier League football with relative ease, and has made the lone defensive midfield role his own with composure and cultured passing. Rodri has started 29 matches in the 2019/20 campaign and averaged 74 passes per game at an impressive 93% accuracy. He has been caught off guard on a few occasions, but is likely to keep getting better under the tutelage of Guardiola.
The Catalan himself is admittedly a huge fan of Rodri. Speaking upon his arrival at the club, the 49-year-old said;
"[Rodri] is a Spain national team player, and there they call him 'the next [Sergio] Busquets.' I think he is a very good player. He is a young, typical defensive midfielder who thinks very quickly. I hope he is here for a long time."
A Pep Guardiola team was always likely to be in the running for a player dubbed to be the next Sergio Busquets — and that is precisely what happened. He's been a remarkable acquisition so far.
#2 Ederson Moraes | SL Benfica | €40m
City legend Joe Hart's future at the club was in doubt since the moment Guardiola's move to City was announced. The former Barcelona coach's reliance on keepers who are comfortable playing the ball out of the back is well-documented. After his €18m gamble on Claudio Bravo failed, he needed a new keeper, and in came Ederson Moraes for €40m.
The Brazilian's arrival changed the dynamic of City's patient build-up play from the back. Ederson has established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the world, particularly with the ball at his feet, at City.
Guardiola has ensured to maximise Ederson's penchant for playing defence-splitting passes from his own half. On many occasions, the 26-year-old has even acted as an auxiliary centre-half, perfecting the sweeper-keeper role to near perfection. 'Near' is the most operative word in this context, though, as his rush of blood has also cost City dearly on a handful occasions in hindsight.
However, on an overarching note, Ederson is comfortably one of Guardiola's best signings at City if not the best. He's racked up 142 appearances all competitions, conceding 107 goals and keeping 69 clean sheets. Ederson also won the 2019/20 Golden Glove with 16 clean sheets.
#1 Aymeric Laporte | Athletic Bilbao | €65m
Centre-half was one of the few problematic areas for City despite their lavish expenditure. Regardless of their spending, they were left with a soon-to-depart Vincent Kompany, an out-of-sorts John Stones and Elaquim Mangala, and Nicolas Otamendi. City then paid a then-club-record fee of €65m in the winter of 2018 to secure the services of Aymeric Laporte from Athletic Bilbao.
The Frenchman has fixed what has arguably been City's most suspect zone of the pitch. Laporte, a multi-faceted centre-back, has all the tools that a manager like Guardiola looks for in his defenders. He was an immovable rock at the back en route City's 2018/19 title win as they conceded just 23 goals in 38 games — only one more than the Virgil van Dijk-led Liverpool defence. Laporte started 34 of those 38 games, averaging a whopping 83 passes per 90, the most of any defender in the league.
His combination of a powerful physique, elegance on the ball and ability to carry it higher up the pitch with ease make him an exquisite player. On his day, Laporte is arguably only bested in England by Van Dijk, who considered by many as the best defender in the world.
The left-footed Frenchman has struggled with several injury issues this year, starting only 14 games in the league. City struggled in his absence and conceded 12 goals more than they did last year. Remarkably, they've conceded just six goals in Laporte's 15 league appearances this year, keeping 11 clean sheets. He is undoubtedly Guardiola's most important signing at the Etihad, and will only keep getting better.
Also read: Premier League 2019-20 Golden Boot, Golden Glove, and Playmaker Award winners for the season
