For many Manchester City fans, the 2024 summer window is unlikely to live too long in the memory.
The club won a fourth Premier League title in a row back in May, indicating that this squad is very strong and that perhaps a lot of additions were not needed this summer.
In the end, just two new faces arrived.
Savinho had been touted as a summer incoming since early 2024, but there was a welcome surprise towards the end of the window when Ilkay Gundogan returned.
Two players from last season’s first-team left in Sergio Gomez and Julian Alvarez. Kalvin Phillips also departed on loan again to join Ipswich Town, but the midfielder was hardly involved last season anyway.
As always, there was plenty of speculation about Manchester City players throughout the summer.
And there is one player who didn’t end up leaving, in what is perhaps the most underrated aspect of City’s whole summer.
Bernardo Silva staying at Man City for another season is huge
Some were very fearful about Bernardo Silva heading into the 2024 summer window.
Last summer, Bernardo ended up staying at the club and signing a new contract. But that contract was said to have included a £50 million release clause.
But, surprisingly, no club triggered that clause in the window just gone.
In general, there were actually very few transfer reports about Bernardo, his future, and interest from other clubs.
He was said to have wanted his future resolved by the end of the Euros, and seemingly it was, because there was absolute silence regarding him and his future after that tournament.
There were very brief claims about potential interest from Bayern Munich, now managed by his old City teammate Vincent Kompany of course.
Barcelona were also linked having admired the player for a long time. But there was never any hope of them signing him given their financial issues.
So £43 million signing Bernardo has ended up staying, and this is simply huge for City.
We know he is one of Pep Guardiola‘s absolute favourite players, with the manager on record as saying the Portuguese is one of the best he has ever trained.
Bernardo has started 2024/25 brilliantly
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Bernardo is easily one of the best footballers on the planet – and he has already shown in the first three games how important it was that City kept hold of him.
He has made two assists so far, both for Erling Haaland. He also scored in the Community Shield against Manchester United. And the fire in Bernardo’s belly was clear to see that day, as he left a late challenge on Alejandro Garnacho.
After the win over Chelsea, a statistic did the rounds that he had run the furthest of any player in the first round of Premier League fixtures. He achieved the same feat in the first game of 2023/24.
After that 1-0 win over Chelsea, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville called Bernardo ‘the man for all seasons, all matches and all positions’ and ‘a wonderful, wonderful football player’.
He continues to be City’s most underrated player, and him staying was easily the most underrated aspect of City’s relatively dull summer in the transfer window.
