City's messy window weakens hand in future negotiations
- Source
- Manchester Evening NewsLocal press
- By
- newsdesk@men-news.co.uk (Simon Bajkowski)
- Published
Key points
- Spent over £315m on midfielders but paid more than necessary due to inefficient negotiations
- Fernández and Bouaddi deals dragged to final stages, resulting in higher fees than initial offers
- Maresca left with only 20 senior outfield players, below the minimum he requested
AI summary
Manchester City's summer transfer window has raised concerns about the club's negotiating reputation despite spending over £315m on midfield reinforcements. The Enzo Fernández deal exemplified the chaos: City publicly ruled out his signing, then paid more than they could have done months earlier, only securing him in the final days. Ayyoub Bouaddi followed a similar pattern, with City waiting over a month after the season started before paying Lille's asking price without securing any discount.
Maresca was left with just 20 senior outfield players—one fewer than requested—after departures including Nico Gonzalez, Savinho, Omar Marmoush and Tijjani Reijnders. The inefficiency risks emboldening future sellers to hold out for higher prices.
Original headline
Man City make Enzo Maresca plan riskier after messy transfer window
This is an AI-generated summary based on the original report and may differ from it. Always check the source for accurate details. Copyright of the article belongs to the publisher and the journalist.