Manchester City should have been more ‘aggressive’ in transfer window, says chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak

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Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak says that the club should have been more “aggressive” in last summer’s transfer market as he vowed that they will be back challenging next season.

Speaking in his annual end-of-season review, Al Mubarak conceded that City were forced into action in the January window when they spent over £180 million, the second-highest ever winter transfer total.

Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Vitor Reis all joined with more incomings expected this summer as City look to bounce back from their first season outside of the top two since 2016-17.

“This club has gone through, as always, a regeneration,” he said. “When I look at the last 16, 17 odd years of being involved in this Club, so many different squads, and we’ve done it in a structured way over the years.

“This year is another year where, when I look back, last summer we probably should have been more aggressive in some of the changes we needed to do. We didn’t do that, and that ended up costing us this year.

“We already started the rebuild of this team in January. Normally, we like to do our business in the summer and only in case of emergency. A special need that comes up, do we actually go and do business in January? That’s been our MO at least for the last seven or eight years. But this January, we had to act.”

Al Mubarak praised how the club did not panic during a difficult four-month spell in which City’s form collapsed and were still able to secure Champions League football for the 15th consecutive year.

But he intimated that further additions could be arriving soon, with the Club World Cup in the US only three weeks away.

“We feel very good about these four players in January,” he said. “And that gives you an idea of what’s coming this summer because we will continue this summer serving the needs of the Club.

“I can tell you today, we have clearly identified who exactly the targets are, in what positions, and we have our clear number one option, our clear number two option.

“We’ll go about our business, and it will be very clear, very swift. Our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup.”

The City chairman also praised the departing De Bruyne but is confident that Haaland is ready to lead the team going forward. (Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Al Mubarak also declared that Kevin De Bruyne is the best player in City’s history, but says that Erling Haaland is ready to lead the next evolution after signing a ten-year contract during the season.

“We know what we have now in Erling, which is the most prolific striker in the world,” he said.

“We have him completely bought into everything that is Manchester City. He is an incredible talent. He is an incredible person, and he’s at the right age. When we look at the next ten years, Erling is at the heart of what we are building, and it was, again, for me, a pretty clear, easy decision.

“What you talk about is history. What we are focusing on is the future, always. History is great and it’s lovely and we celebrate it, and we enjoy it, but then the page flips and there’s a new page to write.

“How many more leagues can we keep winning? How many more Champions Leagues can we go on and win? How many Club World Cups we’re going to go and win, FA Cups, Carabao Cups, Community Shields.

“It’s writing the next chapter, and Erling is at the heart of it. I think this commitment goes both ways. It’s Erling telling the Club and telling us he’s betting on us, and it’s us telling him we’re betting on you, and we’re betting for the next 10 years. You’re going to take us to the next chapter with more trophies and incredible success.”

(Top photo: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

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