Manchester City have shown how capable they are when it comes to spending big amounts of money to sign new players.
Since Pep Guardiola took charge at the Etihad Stadium back in 2016, he has seen multiple players move in and out of the Manchester club for a range of transfer fees.
Having won multiple domestic and European titles over the past seven years, this highlights how successful City’s recruitment has been during this time and how well Guardiola has managed his side.
In fact, last season saw the Citizens become the first side to win four consecutive Premier League titles and are now in the mix to potentially win a fifth.
Despite that, a pundit has questioned one particular figure in City’s squad for what he’s done for the Blues since his arrival.
- Man City 2024/25 squad cost in full: Transfer fees and stats for every player
Pat Nevin questions Jack Grealish after record Man City move
A recent extract from Pat Nevin’s Football Extra newsletter shared on the BBC Sport website said this regarding City’s recruitment in recent years, specifically on one particular player whose move to the Manchester club grabbed a lot of headlines.
He said: “City have been good at buying the best lately. [Erling] Haaland and Josko Gvardiol were impossible not to spot so not that clever, but what about spending £100m on Jack Grealish?
“He is a seriously talented footballer, but when you look at what a player who cost that much should be contributing, the numbers are way off for a top-class creative forward.
“In terms of combined Premier League goals and assists, it is well below contributing roughly one in every three games.
“Contrast that with Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah – or even David Silva, who he partially replaced.
“More concerning, his numbers are nowhere near as good as Cole Palmer since he left to join a club who should have been much harder to create and score for.
“If City have lost their mojo in the acquisitions department, that is much worse than losing four games in a row.”
Danny Murphy urged Grealish to get back to his Treble-winning form
Back in the 2021 summer transfer window, City paid a club-record fee of £100m to sign Grealish from Aston Villa.
Since then, the 29-year-old has appeared in 135 matches across all competitions, scoring 14 goals, delivering 20 assists and winning seven major trophies along the way.
| Jack Grealish | Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists | Minutes Played |
| 2021/22 | 39 | 31 | 6 | 4 | 2730 |
| 2022/23 | 50 | 41 | 5 | 11 | 3487 |
| 2023/24 | 36 | 26 | 3 | 3 | 2114 |
| 2024/25 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 539 |
Nevin isn’t the only pundit to discuss what the winger offers Guardiola’s side, as Danny Murphy urged Grealish to get back to the form he showed during City’s Treble-winning season, saying this on the subject.
He said: “I think the season when they won the Treble in the second half of that season, he was absolutely outstanding, and Pep played him in all the big games because he was bang on it physically with and without the ball.
“He was producing with the ball and his work off the ball was as good as it’s ever been, and that’s why Pep constantly played him in the big games because he trusted him.
“And what he gave in that City side was lovely balance because they had other match-winners who scored goals. Jack had wonderful ability, as I just said, to keep the ball and get him up the pitch, but he worked really hard off the ball.
“Maybe he’s up and down with that, maybe his physicality is a bit up and down. That’s why sometimes we see him in the team [for] six weeks for City and then out of the team for six weeks.
“He’s got to get back to that second half of the season when they won the Treble is what he’s got to get back to be pushing the first XI for England.”
While injury issues have disrupted the £300k-a-week winger since last season, everyone at the club would undoubtedly like to see Grealish add more goals and assists to his game if he can keep his fitness up over a consistent period of time.
