As Txiki Begiristain looks set to leave Manchester City, it will be interesting to see whether the club can successfully replace one of the most important figures in their history.
It has been claimed that Sporting CP’s sporting director Hugo Viana is Manchester City’s number one target to replace Begiristain.
Porto’s director of football Andoni Zubizarreta could also succeed Txiki Begiristain as City are believed to admire him.
Whether it is Viana, Zubizarreta or any other sporting director, Manchester City will be trying to ensure that Begiristain’s replacement is as savvy as him in the transfer market with a proven track record.
During his spell at the Etihad Stadium, Txiki Begiristain has many several incredible signings, with five standing out in particular.
Erling Haaland
Signed for £51 million in the summer of 2022, Erling Haaland’s signing could go down as one of the biggest bargains in the modern era.
Txiki Begiristain, who often seems to target players with release clauses in their contracts employed the same approach with Haaland.
Manchester City won the battle for the Norwegian’s signature at a measly fee for a player of his stature in the game.
In the same summer, Liverpool shelled out an initial £64 million (Sky Sports) to sign Darwin Nunez in a deal that could rise up to £85 million; a big-money transfer that has failed to live up to the billing as the Uruguayan striker has scored a mere 21 Premier League goals in total.
Haaland, on the other hand has surpassed all expectations — spearheading Manchester City towards finally break their hoodoo in the Champions League in his debut season where he won the treble, winning successive league titles and arguably emerging as the best player in England and across the world.
Kevin De Bruyne
In 2015, Txiki Begiristain displayed his utmost faith in the signing of Kevin De Bruyne as Manchester City paid a club-record fee of £55 million (BBC Sport) at the time to secure his services.
Paul Merson apologised to De Bruyne for considering the fee as an overpay as the midfield maestro has gone on to become one of the Premier League’s greatest-ever players.
Jamie Carragher claimed on Sky Sports that De Bruyne is the greatest player to have ever played for City in November 2022.
In 388 appearances for Manchester City across all competitions, the 33-year-old has registered a staggering 101 goals and 171 assists.
The deal to sign the £400,000-a-week talisman has been nothing short of a bargain as Txiki Begiristain deserves a ton of credit for not hesitating to sanction a big-money move for a player who proved why he was always destined for greatness.
Fernandinho
When Manchester City signed Fernandinho from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2013, £30 million (BBC Sport) seemed like a steep fee to pay for his services.
However, the Brazilian silenced his detractors during his debut season as he emerged as one of Manuel Pellegrini’s most pivotal players as City went on to win the league title in 2014.
During his spell at the club, Fernandinho was one of the best holding midfielders in the world.
Even during Pep Guardiola’s time in charge, the Athletico Paranaense anchor’s importance did not wane as he eventually captained City to their league title triumph in 2022 as well.
Fernandinho nearly spent a decade at Manchester City, proving especially crucial in Guardiola’s successive title wins in 2018 and 2019 and is a bona fide legend at the club.
Ilkay Gundogan
Ilkay Gundogan would be hoping that his second stint at Manchester City is considered as legendary as when he first joined the club in 2016.
Signed for just £20 million (The Guardian) in 2016 while he was nursing a knee injury, there were not sky-high expectations from Gundogan when he first made his way to the Etihad Stadium.
However, the German went on to become one of City’s greatest-ever players as he ran the show across various positions in midfield.
Eventually captaining Manchester City to their first and only treble last year, Gundogan might be the most value-for-money signing Txiki Begiristain made during his time in charge.
Rodri
Txiki Begiristain especially deserves credit for signing Rodri, especially considering how difficult a task it must have been for him to find a player who he felt was capable of being the long-term heir to Fernandinho.
The Spanish international is arguably Manchester City’s best player and some would even argue that he has surpassed the former club captain already.
In Rodri, Txiki Begiristain has signed a player who could merit a statue outside the Etihad Stadium like Sergio Aguero, Vincent Kompany and David Silva; such has been his impact in a City shirt.
Manchester City will be hoping that once the 28-year-old returns from his injury, his form is not impacted as the midfielder still has plenty of years left to further cement his legacy as an all-time great at the club.
