Man City are interested in signing Brighton’s Evan Ferguson to play alongside Erling Haaland.
After a promising start to the season, City is one of several Premier League clubs keeping an eye on the teenage striker.
Manchester City is one of the elite teams keeping an eye on Brighton’s breakout player Evan Ferguson.
That should come as no surprise to anyone. According to one recruitment official I spoke with, the 18-year-old’s strong early effect at the Amex has piqued the curiosity of “nearly every one” of the Premier League’s Champions League contenders.
However, City’s interest is intriguing because the club would ideally prefer to extend Erling Haaland’s contract beyond 2027. If the Norwegian striker is tempted to Real Madrid as part of succession planning, it makes sense. Having both on board in a couple of years is a terrifying thought.
That is how things operate at Etihad, where recruitment is planned years in advance. But, following a relatively difficult summer for City following their triumph in Istanbul, there may be reason to consider whether transfer policy needs a tweak or two if they are to compete for the likes of Ferguson, a possible £150 million-rated star, in the future.
They did, however, sign top target Josko Gvardiol, a generational centre-back prodigy. Mateo Kovacic was a useful early signing, and their window concluded with a rush of purchasing, the most fascinating of which was the £55.5m spent on the young but potentially exciting Jeremy Doku.
But the issue reverberating around the Etihad is whether there are lessons to be learned and flexibility to be built into a recruitment structure that has propelled them to the top of the game.
It appears to be a preposterous remark to make about a club that leads the Premier League with four wins in four games and has yet to get out of third gear.
But a summer that began with real interest in Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice concluded with City giving in to pressure.
But this will not always be the case. For one Doku, who was so convinced of City that Spurs’ late interest was insignificant, there is a Rice, who was engaged in Arsenal but could have been swayed by money and chance.
With the Saudi Pro League disturbing the market and offering players like Riyad Mahrez alternatives, Txiki Begiristain’s technique may need to be tweaked.
If any of their periphery guys fail to establish themselves after a year, a refresh may be required.
The future of Kalvin Phillips is becoming increasingly questionable. He received attention from Everton and Newcastle, but the player was determined to prove himself capable of integrating into Guardiola’s system, despite the manager’s apparent hesitation.
