Manchester City had a very impressive previous summer transfer window from a financial point of view.
Even though City cashed in on players such as Sergio Gomez, Liam Delap and Joao Cancelo, it was their sale of Julian Alvarez that grabbed the most attention.
Specifically, City made a club record sale by allowing Alvarez to join Atletico Madrid for a fee of £81m (via BBC Sport), just two-and-a-half years after securing a £15m deal for him to join the Blues.
Despite that, the Citizens didn’t end up signing a replacement for the Argentine, leaving them with only Erling Haaland as the main predominant striker in their squad.
Now though, with the January transfer window around the corner, some details have come to light regarding City’s potential plans in the market and why they didn’t end up signing a replacement for Alvarez in the summer.
- Who is Julian Alvarez? The story of the striker who won it all at Man City before joining Atletico Madrid
Guardiola’s main reasoning for not signing an Alvarez replacement
A recent report from The Athletic said this on the matter.
It said: “They may also need to enter the market for a goalkeeper and a backup to Erling Haaland might be needed.
“That depends on who comes in in midfield — part of the reason they did not sign a replacement for Julian Alvarez was because Guardiola felt they had enough options in midfield to draft somebody in and play false 9.”
Injuries have scuppered Guardiola’s plans this season
Taking into account how various midfield figures in City’s ranks such as Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Mateo Kovacic have had to deal with injury issues throughout the season, this will have impacted Guardiola’s ability to play the likes of Phil Foden or Bernardo Silva in a false-nine role.
In fact, it was reported back in August that De Bruyne was being eyed up to play as a striker in the absence of Alvarez.
As things stand, Pep Guardiola’s side are eight points behind Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, which could extend to 11 points if they lose at Anfield on Sunday.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  LiverpoolLiverpool | 12 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 8 | 16 | 31 |
| 2 |  Man CityManchester City | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 22 | 17 | 5 | 23 |
| 3 |  ChelseaChelsea | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 22 |
| 4 |  ArsenalArsenal | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 12 | 9 | 22 |
| 5 |  BrightonBrighton | 12 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 21 | 16 | 5 | 22 |
| 6 |  TottenhamTottenham | 12 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 27 | 13 | 14 | 19 |
| 7 |  Nottm ForestNottingham Forest | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 15 | 13 | 2 | 19 |
| 8 |  Aston VillaAston Villa | 12 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| 9 |  FulhamFulham | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 17 | 17 | 0 | 18 |
| 10 |  NewcastleNewcastle | 12 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 18 |
If the Blues are significantly behind in the title race by the time the January transfer window opens or they have more injury issues to deal with, strengthening their squad in the winter period should be a priority for City.
