“I think the squad is exceptional” – Pep Guardiola plays down need for major Manchester City transfer spend in 2025 | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has played down the need for a major transfer spend across markets in 2025, despite ongoing injury problems and worsening results.

Unprompted last week, the Manchester City head coach pointed out that a significant portion of his first-team squad at the Etihad Stadium are over the age of 30, with many of the club’s most successful stars over the season entering their final years at the club.

On the other hand, Guardiola was also right to point out that Manchester City and the most successful clubs on the planet require the right balance between youth, those in the centre of their top-level careers, and those with experience across the game.

And speaking during a recent press conference on the importance of Manchester City’s upcoming transfer markets, and particularly whether Txiki Begiristain’s exit impacted his decision to extend his contract, Pep Guardiola played down all elements.

“The answer is it will come naturally. We will not do the club like every season. There are seasons when you buy five players, there are seasons like this season when you buy one and (Ilkay) Gundo comes back,” Guardiola said.

“Because when everybody is fit, I don’t need (more players),” he continued. “I think right now the squad is exceptional. But we had a lot of problems, recently we had a lot of problems and we did not have the ability to play the players.

“Today in modern football you cannot change seven players and bring in seven players. It’s not the right way. But in one, two, or three, four reasons, Txiki (Begiristain) will help us until the last moment and with Hugo (Viana), he’s going to help us afterwards.”

It was further pointed out to Pep Guardiola that Manchester City have a significant number of players over the age of 30. However, from the viewpoint of the Catalan coach, experience is essential, with the 53-year-old pointing towards Real Madrid in recent years.

“It depends on how they perform. Do you know how many good players there are over 30? I saw Real Madrid with Casemiro, Toni Kroos, and (Luka) Modric more than 30 and won the Champions League, Champions League, Champions League and playing every three days,” he said.

“It’s not about that. Players are 33, 34, 35 playing all the season playing incredibly well and helping the team. The reality is not 23, 24, 25 because when you are more than 30 years, you have experience, you have something that young players cannot have.

“You cannot have just young players, or just players over 35, you have to have a mix, and we have a mix. We have eight, or nine, or 10 with 21, 22, Josko (Gvardiol), Erling (Haaland), Phil (Foden), Rico (Lewis), Oscar (Bobb), (James) Macca, and someone else, Jeremy (Doku), Savio – we have a lot, a lot of incredible top, young players, and most of those over the age of 30 and a perfect age to still do it.

“What is going to be the decision? We win or we lose? We are in the bottom? The club will take the decisions; manager, players. We have to win again our future. We have to perform well to stay here.”

Manchester City’s next test of their squad, and as the club hopes to bring an end to their five-game losing streak across competitions, comes against Feyenoord in the UEFA Champions League before a Premier League trip to Liverpool awaits on Sunday.