Manchester City’s stars are asking for January transfer window signings reveals Pep Guardiola | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has sent a clear towards the Manchester City hierarchy over their intentions in the upcoming January transfer window.

The squad of the Premier League champions has been heavily impacted by fitness and injury problems throughout the ongoing season, with players coming and going from the matchday picture due to various issues.

Matters were heightened in September when Rodri sustained a long-term injury via double knee damage, joining Oscar Bobb and the Norwegian forward’s leg bone fracture sustained in early August.

Those two longer-term problems have been added to by a revolving door in the centre of defence, with all of Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake, and Manuel Akanji coming and going from the injury treatment room.

Those problems have left City with little to no options in their defensive unit and throughout the squad, leaving the club concerned over their fate in the second-half of the season and seeing a large portion of supporters calling for action in the January transfer market.

Speaking ahead of Manchester City’s Boxing Day meeting with Everton, Pep Guardiola told broadcasters Prime Video of his belief that the club need to add to their squad during the upcoming January transfer window if possible.

“If we can, we have to add players, definitely! We struggled especially at the back, in the middle,” Guardiola admitted.

He continued, “Saying that, I don’t know what’s going to happen because in the transfer window in winter time is not easy, but everybody is aware.

“I think even the players asked ourselves, ‘We are going to add some players?! Please!'”

Manchester City have won just one game in their last 12 matches across all competitions, and despite all of the unprecedented success achieved over the last seven years, Guardiola has the same intense motivation and drive as ever.

“I like to be here, I love the club, the hierarchy, the people, life in Manchester, and many things, now more than ever,” Guardiola responded when asked where he sources that unrelenting motivation from.

“We have a lot of problems, obviously, for many reasons, and what drives me is let’s turn around. That is the target!”

For now, it remains to be seen who City could turn to in the January transfer window as a realistic transfer target, with the club having already briefed the media of their belief that Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes and Real Sociedad’s Martin Zubimendi are unattainable.

Claudio Echeverri is one name that will be arriving in the New Year having reached an agreement with Manchester City in the 2024 January window to join the club, after an extended spell on loan with his former club River Plate.