Transfer hypocrisy is nothing new when it comes to City
- davidjwalker1
- Jun 16
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 19
So, here’s the scenario – the British record transfer fee has just been smashed for a player described as a ‘generational talent’, a ‘once-in-a-century talent like we’ve never had before’. The £116.5m fee (including add-ons) is being paid for Bayer Leverkusen’s attacking midfielder, Florian Wirtz.
A few days before, a player lauded as, ‘one of Europe’s greatest technicians’ – praised by none other than Thierry Henry who said, ‘I’ve never seen a player in history who dribbles as quickly and with both feet’ – arrived in English football for a more modest £30.45m (potentially rising to £34m).
The player in question is French football sensation Rayan Cherki who – at the age of 21 – has already played nearly 200 first team games for Olympique Lyonnais (that’s Lyon to us on this side of the English Channel).
At three months older than his French counterpart, Wirtz has made 31 appearances for Germany.
Cherki made his international debut two weeks ago – and only then as a 63rd minute substitute – in a crazy 5-4 Nations League defeat to Spain.
The adage ‘you only get one chance to make a first impression’ might not have been uppermost in his mind, but he made an indelible mark.
With barely half-an-hour to play Cherki lit up the game with a staggering 79th minute strike – plus an assist – dragging his country from 5-1 down to the brink of an amazing comeback.
Three days later he made his full international debut starring in France’s 2-0 victory over Wirtz’s Germany in Stuttgart.
Wirtz’s new employers will be reigning Premier League champions, Liverpool. This will be the same Liverpool who had previously broken world record transfer fees for a goalkeeper (Alisson £65m from Roma in 2018) and a defender (Virgil van Dijk £75m from Southampton in 2017). The same Liverpool who claim they cannot compete with City's financial firepower.
Manchester City were would-be suitors for Wirtz, but whether City baulked at the overall financial package – or Wirtz just preferred the move to Anfield – remains unclear.
Either way City are delighted to have landed a ‘three-for-one’ alternative, acquiring Cherki, AC Milan midfielder, Tijani Reijnders and Wolves defender, Rayan Ait-Nouri, for virtually the same price as Wirtz.
On the face of it Hugo Viana, City’s new Sporting Director, is having a blinder in the transfer window, but it begs the question what if City had splurged £116.5m on Wirtz and Liverpool had bought Cherki, Reijnders and Ait-Nouri?
How would it have been covered by the media, what would’ve been the perceived ‘wisdom’?
It’s a rhetorical question.
Big bad City – the club funded by ‘dirty oil money’, the ‘cheats’ who are guilty of 115/130 (you choose) charges, the 4-In-A-Row history making Premier League champions who always ‘buy the league’ – would be hammered for once again ‘ruining football’.
By contrast Liverpool would’ve been lauded for their ability to spend so wisely and without breaking the bank. Who knows they might still be using the £142m fee garnered when Philippe Coutinho moved to Barcelona in 2018?
The hypocrisy would’ve been off the chart, the ignorant anti-City narrative reiterated and re-emphasised once again.
Of course, Arne Slot has every right to strengthen his team with Wirtz, his Bayer Leverkusen teammate, Jeremie Frimpong and most likely Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez. There’s no hint of criticism of a £200m spend – why should there be – it’s their money so let them get on with it.
It’s a different ball game when City spend some of their sizeable transfer war chest - accrued over several transfer windows - and that’s before factoring in substantial prize money from multiple Premier League titles and sponsorships.
Those who sally forth with the ‘net spend’ argument are ignoramuses who don’t - or can’t - understand how football finance works.
City should be able to accumulate even larger revenue streams – and profits – once the verdict on the 115/130 charges of alleged financial irregularities, and the ruling on Associated Party Transactions (APT), are delivered later this year.
Huge commercial deals with Etihad Airways and First Abu Dhabi Bank, were thwarted by the Premier League in 2023. The PL rules on APT have already been deemed unlawful at one tribunal and the odds are it’ll be the same outcome at a second tribunal in October. Those deals can then be resurrected.
There’s every likelihood PL CEO, Richard Masters, his cronies and red cartel puppeteers, will be substantially out of pocket once the dust settles on all the tiresome litigation.
In the meantime, City have banked £30m just for turning up at FIFA’S latest toy - the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup in the USA. That's already paid for Cherki.
And you can bet your bottom dollar City will be very active in the rest of the summer window.
A new right back is top of the shopping list (Tino Livramento at Newcastle appears to be Pep's first choice) and probably another attacking midfielder, despite the position seemingly overloaded at present.
Attention will also focus on the goalkeeping situation as both Ederson and Stefan Ortega enter the final year of their contracts. Veteran keeper and cult figure, Scott Carson has departed, being replaced by Chelsea's Marcus Bettinelli.
The £180m January spend on Marmoush, Khusanov, Gonzalez, Reis and Bah – players with an average age of 21.4 years – is an indication of City’s forward planning. Argentine attacking midfielder Claudio Echeverri (19) is a diamond in the making, and he only cost £12.4m from River Plate way back in January 2024.
With Viana taking over from Txiki Begiristain, there's plenty more business to be done.
A £12.5m fee will bring Norwegian prodigy, Sverre Nypan (18) to City from Rosenborg. At 15-years-old he made his first team debut. Comparisons are already being drawn with Arsenal’s Martin Odegaard, who also debuted at 15 in Norway’s topflight.
Staying with 15-year-olds, City are on the verge of securing a £1.5m deal for Sheffield Wednesday striker Caelen-Kole Cadamarteri.
The son of former Everton forward, Danny Cadamarteri, Caelen-Kole has already shown that age is no barrier, scoring 24 goals in 23 games for Wednesday’s U18s.
The free transfer signing of PSG forward Mahamadou Sangare on a five-year contract, will have gone under the radar of most City fans. The 18-year-old turned down the offer of a similar deal with the newly crowned Champions League winners – a glowing endorsement of City’s Academy.
With so much young talent being bought in from outside, it’s worth remembering the Academy is capable of developing youngsters who could eventually achieve first team status.
Attacking midfielder Divine Mukasa (17) and forward Jaden Heskey (19) are two names that spring to mind.
As much as the Academy generates tens of millions of pounds in outgoings every season, there are always lessons to be learned when a player such as Morgan Rogers – now at Aston Villa – finds there’s no pathway to Pep Guardiola’s squad.
City have already generated £31m this month, courtesy of three players who barely played for the club.
Brazilian full back Yan Couto made his loan deal to Borussia Dortmund permanent for £20m (in addition to a £4m loan fee). Liam Delap’s £30m switch from Ipswich to Chelsea brought in £6m due to a 20% sell-on clause.
Sunderland had to pay City an additional £2m for Patrick Roberts following their promotion to the Premier League, whereas Jacob Wright has moved to Norwich City for £3m.
Reflecting on a season where City missed out on silverware (let’s not kid ourselves that the Community Shield counts) Pep said: “It was a year of great learning. There wasn’t just one reason why it was so difficult, there were many details – I made wrong decisions – but for me personally, I learnt a lot.”
Notwithstanding crippling injuries and constant disruption – particularly in defence – Pep knows he was too loyal to players who had served him well over the years. Equally, his own indecision about extending his stay at the Etihad, compromised City’s transfer dealings last summer.
It’s already looking like the polar opposite in 2025.
With Kevin De Bruyne already at Napoli and Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker clearly heading for the door, this is the dismantling of an ageing side, one which delivered unprecedented success.
Question marks hang over Ilkay Gundogan and a likely move to Galatasaray in Turkey and injury prone John Stones who enters the last year on his contract,
One of the City veterans who will be staying is the indefatigable Bernardo Silva, The 30-year old midfield maestro has just been made City's new captain for 2025/26.
In the wake of last season's disappointments, Pep has taken the unprecedented step of choosing his group of captains. In his nine years at the Etihad he has always allowed the playing squad to elect their leader, but not this time.
It's recognition of Bernardo's never-say-die attitude and incredible work ethic that he's been handed the role.
James McAtee – a homegrown player – looks destined to leave, with a £20m/£25m sale representing a pure profit.
Striker Divin Mubama has already been the subject of a £10m enquiry from Ipswich and hopes are high that luckless Kalvin Phillips might return to Leeds United.
On loan players including Maximo Perrone at Como in Italy, Callum Doyle at Norwich, Issa Kabore at Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga, Joel Ndala at Nottingham Forest and Josh Wilson-Esbrand at Stoke City, could collectively go for circa £40m.
City fans can look forward to plenty more wheeling and dealing, but for now the focus falls on the Club World Cup.
If an upgraded City – replete with a returning Rodri – could win the thing, it would see another £67m go into the transfer kitty.
So, here’s another scenario – City can spend, spend, spend this summer, stay well in the black and heap pain and disdain on reds of many persuasions.
By David Walker
Twitter @ReadButNeverRed
@djwskyblu
Great insight and love your facts and figures, just wish I could recall them all when debating with deluded media inspired gullibles of the red fraternity !
Thanks for all the hard work you do David and best wishes to Molly Zabba for a speedy recovery
Thanks for another fab read 💙
Exceptional David, I am delighted that the MSM & our rivals peddle their false narrative, they are sleepwalking into oblivion! Keep up the good work !
Nice piece again Mr W👍. It will never alter it will always be dirty oil money ruining football. Wait till Jack Grealish goes which I personally hope doesn't happen and he gets back into Pep's plans. But if he does we will get plenty of stick about wasting money again. As for this tournament we are in yes it will put money into the transfer kitty but just as long as we don't pick up any injuries.