With a heavy touch of irony, Manchester City fans jubilantly began to dance the Poznan. Their team had stormed into a 7-0 lead against the self-proclaimed ‘original nosy neighbours’ Salford City, and so they turned their backs and began to bounce. For City fans, this was an unusually rare moment of celebration in a stuttering season and so the Poznan came with an air of satirical relief.
This wasn’t just a lopsided FA Cup spectacle – it offered a snapshot of two clubs synonymous with the transformative power of deep pockets. But both clubs, though worlds apart in resources, now find themselves at a crossroads, where fresh financial lifeblood in the coming months is key to sustaining the swathes of triumphs that have followed them, since their respective, and notorious, takeovers.
Pep Guardiola’s post-match press conference shed light on how his side may go about solving their current issues, whereas for Salford the class of ’92 have helped them reach heights many deemed unfathomable, but if the next step up is to be made further investment is essential.
Out with the old and in with the new for Manchester City
For the typically unflappable Guardiola, this has been a season of raw emotions on full display, and this was the case yet again as he revealed, after his side’s 8-0 win over Salford, that Kyle Walker, who ranked at No.5 in FourFourTwo’s list of the best Premier League defenders of all time, had asked to leave the club and “explore the options to play abroad at the end of his career”. While he lauded the City capatain’s contributions, stating “we cannot understand the success we had these years without Kyle”, the tone Guardiola used to end his answer with the words “I don’t know what’s going to happen”, implied he is rather frustrated with this latest saga.
This irritation may be due to the manner in which Walker’s request has played given Guardiola stated “he went to the club, he went to Txixi [Begiristain – Manchester City’s Director of Football], he didn’t speak with me”. What is apparent is that City look to be in the midst of a complicated reshuffle as their recruitment team seem to be set on burning yet another hole in their owner’s wallets. A deal for Uzbek defender Abdukodir Khusanov has reportedly been agreed, and talks are ongoing for both Palmeiras defender Vitor Reis and Frankfurt forward Omar Marmoush, in a window that could see City splash upwards of £120 million.
It’s clear that Pep feels a rebuild is required, and whilst City’s poor form in late 2024 has taken a more positive turn in 2025, the reigning champions still sit 12 points off the top position they have so rarely vacated since Guardiola’s arrival.
Against Salford, Jack Grealish scored his first goal in 392 days and he is one of multiple members of the Manchester City squad whose presence in Guardiola’s long-term plan remains unclear. It may seem remiss to criticise a player who has scored and assisted twice in an 8-0 drubbing, but Grealish’s struggles were still clear to see. There were glimpses of the old, daring winger, but on too many occasions he hovered on the ball in front of the Salford defence before opting for a straightforward pass back into City’s midfield. It was a pattern that has become all too familiar in recent years and one in stark contrast to the aggressive and direct running of Jeremy Doku.
Criticism has not escaped Doku this season, but he is young, fresh and energetic – characteristics that City lack. In FourFourTwo’s opinion their recent woes seem to be born out of an ageing, overplayed squad. In fact, only three Premier League sides have an average squad age older than Manchester City. Experience is of course valuable in a side pushing for a ridiculous fifth consecutive title, but there has been a blatant lack of energy in recent months. Recruitment has occurred but of City’s 20 most-used players this season, only five have been signed since the start of 2023. In comparison, Arsenal have double the number of post-2022 signings in their 20 most-used players.
As Guardiola said to the press, “I want to tell you something, the reason why we have problems – we don’t have a long squad”, highlighting that injuries, particularly Rodri’s, have taken their toll on his squad. These absentees will have played a part in the recruitment push but underneath these problems there is the feeling that Guardiola, and Manchester City as a whole club, understand that a fresh wave of spending is required, and losing older, underperforming players like Walker is no catastrophe.
Across Manchester, the case is strangely similar, with a focus on wider investment rather than player recruitment. Salford’s dramatic rise through the football league ranks was well-documented in the media after Gary Neville and co. took over. The initial upward trajectory has stalled slightly in recent years, but this season seems different with Salford winning seven of their last eight league games.
Promotion looms tantalisingly in 2025 and last year the club announced they were looking “to explore new strategic partners for the club to support its ambitious growth targets”. The potential is strong at Salford, and with the added lure of associating with Manchester United’s famous Class of ’92, investment from abroad appears inevitable.
Before their first-ever FA Cup Third Round clash, the Salford squad assembled on the Etihad turf to salute a record-breaking contingent of travelling fans, and despite the routing, the whole community around Salford will be hoping that they can turn nights like these into a regular occurrence rather than a one-off spectacle. Manchester City’s stumble may be more fleeting, and their purse is significantly larger, but in an era where finance dictates footballing fate both sides are looking to money to ensure the glory days return.
