Manchester City

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

Image source, Getty Images

James Trafford was another debutant to stand out against Wolves on Saturday, alongside Tijjani Reijnders, keeping a clean sheet following his return from Burnley in the summer.

The 22-year-old Englishman started in goal after Ederson missed the game because of illness and made a total of three saves in an assured performance.

The Brazilian has entered the final year of his contract at Etihad Stadium and has been heavily linked with a move to Turkish giants Galatasaray.

"I don't have info," Guardiola said of Ederson's future. "Yesterday I saw his illness, gastroenteritis, and after I didn't speak to the club.

"If the player wants to leave he has to leave, but on the conditions of the club.

"There is no sense if he is not happy here but the final decision and the way to make the deal belongs 100% to the club, so I don't know what will happen in the next two weeks."

Guardiola did admit though his main priority was now on thinning his squad.

He said: "It's too much - too many people. I like a deep squad to compete in all competitions but I don't want to leave players at home. It's not healthy. You cannot create a good vibe or atmosphere to compete.

"Everyone has to feel they can play and help. The club has known it since last season, it's not news, but the situation is what it is.

"In the next two weeks, people will talk with players and agents to find a solution."

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

Manchester City fans have a new hero to adore in the shape of Tijjani Reijnders.

The 27-year-old Dutchman delivered an all-action performance on Saturday, contributing a goal and an assist, as City showed they mean business by thrashing Wolves away at Molineux.

Reijnders is only the second City player to both score and provide a goal on his Premier League debut, after Sergio Aguero, and if he achieves even half of what the Argentina striker did, he will be a sure-fire hit for the club.

Former England striker Alan Shearer told BBC Match of the Day: "He was sensational, it was almost the perfect midfield performance. It was incredible. He controlled the game at his pace.

"He is an absolute nightmare to play against because he is always on the move.

"The way he ran was a key part for Manchester City, he just kept going and going and Wolves didn't have the answer. He was brilliant at it, they couldn't cope with him."

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Alan Shearer join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's opening Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

• Tottenham 3-0 Burnley

• Wolves 0-4 Manchester City

Shamoon Hafez
Manchester City reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It is very early in the season but Man City's dominant performance against Wolves puts them top of the table, where they have finished in six of the past eight campaigns.

At the heart of their brilliance was midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, who was making his Premier League debut having played three times for City at the Club World Cup in the summer.

His display showed why he may become a fans' favourite for City.

An action-packed performance from the 27-year-old laid the platform for fast starters City to record their 14th opening-game victory in the past 15 seasons.

The visitors were finding it difficult to make inroads on the back five of Wolves early on, but Reijnders' delightful piece of skill contributed to breaking the deadlock and they took total control thereafter.

The former AC Milan man showed quick feet before lifting a sumptuous ball through to Rico Lewis, who fed Erling Haaland to convert the simplest of finishes from close range.

City lacked athleticism in the middle of the park last season and the second goal showed what Reijnders will bring to this team, bursting forward and coolly slotting in from Oscar Bobb's lay-off.

And he displayed his guile with a cleverly disguised pass for Haaland's second goal as the City striker took his tally to 87 Premier League goals in just 98 games, while Rayan Cherki netted a fourth from outside the box a day before his 22nd birthday.

For Wolves, it was a disappointing start to the new campaign and Vitor Pereira's men have now gone five games without a win in the league.

It could have been a different story had Marshall Munetsi not wandered offside for his disallowed goal, and they have now been beaten in 10 of their past 11 meetings with City.

Wing-back David Moller Wolfe was given his first start while Fer Lopez and Jhon Arias came off the bench to make their Wolves debuts, but City were out of sight by then.

• Reijnders spoke to BBC Radio Manchester after the win

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester City beat Wolves 4-0 in their opening Premier League fixture on Saturday and boss Pep Guardiola believes the club are 'refreshing' for the future.

"First half was good second half was not," Guardiola told BBC Match of the Day.

"Normal in this part of the season but they were better [in the second half]. We had short preparation. We always struggle here [Molineux] and two years ago we lost and last season a late John Stones goal. Always tough so really pleased for the result especially. The tempo, the rhythm from the beginning was good."

On Tijjani Reijnders: "Really good. Lovely guy and impact from day one. His pace, he can help with the holding midfield. He can make runs inside the pockets and the spaces that sometimes we allow defenders to create. At AC Milan he was exceptional and the national team. We knew he is a top signing for the coming years for City."

On Rayan Cherki: "Quality in the final third, in the small spaces it's unique. His creativity is excellent, the rhythm that we need. There are many years and games where opponents will be tight. We need quality, special quality in the final third and pure talent and Rayan has it."

On fresh crop of City players: "We have Manu [Akanji], Nathan [Ake] and [Ilkay] Gundogan - players that created that legacy but of course we have changed after last season with many injuries and problems. Fresh energy this season it's quite similar to when I first arrived.

"We had a lot of players who came when I first arrived - Kyle Walker, Leroy Sane, Bernardo Silva - they were outstanding and now the club has to refresh for the next years and be consistent."

On James Trafford: "It's a lovely story - came through the academy young. He had a really good game, good save, a big presence in the goal. He did an incredible job at Burnley with Vinny [Kompany]. In the end, the club decided to bring him back and I'm pretty sure he will sleep good tonight."

Image source, Getty Images

• Tijjani Reijnders became just the second player to both score and assist on their Premier League debut for Manchester City, after Sergio Agüero in August 2011 against Swansea City.

• Erling Haaland has scored two or more goals in 21 different Premier League games, at least nine more times than any other player since his debut in August 2022.

• Even more, the Norwegian has scored 10 Premier League goals against Wolves, the most he's netted against an opponent in the competition.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Wolves' performance

What did you make of Man City's display?

Come back to this page on Sunday to find a selection of your replies

Wolves boss Vitor Pereira hands a debut to Norwegian wing-back David Moller Wolfe, who joined the club from AZ Alkmaar this summer.

Fellow summer signings Jhon Arias and Fer Lopez are both on the bench.

Wolves XI: Sa, Hoever, Toti, Agbadou, Doherty, Wolfe, Andre, Gomes, Bellegarde, Munetsi, Strand Larson

Subs: J.Arias, Hugo Bueno, S. Bueno, Hwang Hee-Chan, S. Johnstone, S. Kalajdžić, Fer López, Rodrigo Gomes, Y. Mosquera

The big team for Manchester City sees number one goalkeeper Ederson being left amid strong interest from Turkish giants Galatasaray.

It means a debut for James Trafford in goal, with Tijjani Reijnders also playing for the first time in the Premier League having made his City debut during the Club World Cup.

Full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri starts against his old club, having made 135 Premier League appearances for Wolves.

Man City XI: Trafford, Lewis, Dias, Stones, Ait-Nouri, Reijnders, Gonzalez, Silva, Bobb, Doku, Haaland.

Subs: Akanji, Ake, Cherki, Gundogan, Khusanov, Marmoush, Nunes, O'Reilly, Ortega

Five matches make up Saturday's Premier League action and BBC Sport will bring you every kick.

• Aston Villa v Newcastle (12:30)

• Brighton v Fulham

• Sunderland v West Ham - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Tottenham v Burnley - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Wolves v Manchester City (17:30) - BBC Radio 5 Live

All kick-off times 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

Wolves were always well-organised under manager Vitor Pereira last season and they are a powerful team too, but they are going to miss Matheus Cunha. I wonder - how do they replace his goals and assists?

It is a worry for Manchester City that Rodri is injured again, but they are going to have to deal with that for the next few weeks.

We don't really know how City will line up with their new players either, but they surely can't be as fragile - or rudderless - as they were without Rodri last season.

Maybe City will turn up and blow Wolves away, but I think this will be a lot closer than that.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Matthew Hobbs
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City begin their attempt to reclaim the Premier League title with a trip to Molineux to face a Wolves side who improved drastically under Vitor Pereira last season.

BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes ahead of their opening day clash.

Manchester City begin their Premier League campaign on familiar ground – with question marks surrounding the fitness of key midfielder Rodri.

The Spain international returned from eight months out due to a serious ACL injury in May and featured during the Club World Cup but he then sustained a groin injury and may not feature this weekend.

Pep Guardiola has said he does not expect Rodri to be "really fit" until September.

The 29-year-old remains City's most important component: their Premier League win rate drops from 74.3% to 54.7% when Rodri does not feature, while they average 1.8 points per game when he is missing compared to 2.4 points when he plays.

The £46.3m signing of Netherlands international Tijjani Reijnders should help offset Rodri's potential absence – the one-time Aldi employee ranked seventh overall for carries of more than 10m in Serie A last season – and Guardiola's side have won their opening league game in 13 of the last 14 seasons, but in Wolves they face a tough opening fixture.

Wolves transformed under Pereira - but can they prosper without Cunha?

The Midlands club were transformed following the arrival of Vitor Pereira in December, with the Portuguese manager embracing his new home to the point of sharing post-match pints in the pub with supporters.

Improvements on the pitch undoubtedly helped with fan-based affection off it: Wolves would have finished 12th in a Premier League table that started with Pereira's first game in charge, a 3-0 win at Leicester City on 22 December, with Wolves then winning six league matches in a row in March and April.

The summer transfer window at Molineux has, however, been fairly quiet. Jorgen Strand Larsen's loan move from Celta Vigo has been made permanent for £23m, while wingers Fer Lopez and Jhon Arias have been added for a combined £34m, along with Alkmaar full-back David Moller Wolfe.

Departures, though, feel more significant. Matheus Cunha may have agitated manager and supporters alike last season after pushing to leave the club in January but his £62.5m move to Manchester United this summer means that Wolves have lost a high quality goalscorer, while Rayan Ait-Nouri is likely to walk out at Molineux on Saturday – although he will be playing for the visitors following his own move.

Pereira's task in continuing the momentum of last season may be a tall one – and Wolves have lost on the opening day in their last four league seasons.

Katie Stafford
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media before Saturday's opening Premier League game against Wolves at Molineux (kick-off 17:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic are not available for the opening game but Rodri and Phil Foden will travel with the squad.

• He confirmed Savinho is injured and will miss "a few weeks" while goalkeeper Ederson is "apparently" injured too.

• On Savinho's future at the club: "I don't know. The only thing I'm concerned about today is that Savinho will be with us all season, and hopefully for many, many years."

• He said Ederson has not gone to him saying he wants to leave this summer.

• More on Savinho and Ederson: "If they want to leave then they will knock my door. All the players that are here are our players and I will work with them. Nobody knows what is going to happen over the next two weeks."

• He said they "are ready to bounce back" and that judging by pre-season "the signs are that are we will be better" than last year.

• On midfielder James McAtee, who is close to joining Nottingham Forest: "I would love to have Macca with me but we have too many players and he wanted more minutes. I understand completely."

• Rodri is very close to returning as "his knee is perfect" but they "don't want him to come back and then step back because it's not dynamic when you can't get rhythm."

• On a potential timeframe for the Ballon d'Or winner's full return: "He's made good training sessions. He will travel [to Wolves] and we will decide whether he gets a few minutes. Hopefully, he can over the next three games and then after the international break, he can help us."

• Guardiola also wished Jack Grealish "all the best at the traditional club that is Everton", adding: "Hopefully he can play, play and play. This is the reason that we decided [the loan move] was best for him."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to live commentary of Wolves v Man City on BBC Radio 5 Live from 17:30 BST on Saturday

Image source, Getty Images

We have looked into the age profile of Manchester City's players for the 2025-26 season and recorded what percentage of minutes each of them played last campaign.

For the purpose of this exercise, we have deemed those under 24 as youth, between 24 and 30 as in their peak years and anyone over 30 to be a veteran.

The green represents new signings, who naturally did not play, red are those that have since left the club and yellow are all those that remain.

We can see across the last two windows, City have added a range in terms of age profile (green dots). They have also cut significant experience with the exits of Kevin de Bruyne and Kyle Walker.

One obvious area of improvement for the team will be seeing Rodri's yellow dot move much higher on the chart to represent more minutes played.

That may be worth far more than any signing.

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest have agreed a deal worth nearly £30m for Manchester City's James McAtee.

The deal for the 22-year-old is also expected to include sell-on and buy-back clause.

He made 27 appearances for City last season but only three Premier League starts.

Is that a good return for McAtee?

Do you think the sell-on and buy-back clauses are sensible?

Or would you have preferred to have kept him this season?

Get in touch here

Image source, Getty Images

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire says Manchester City will have "prepared a series of budgets" for various outcomes to the case of their alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules.

While the hearing took place between September and December 2024, the much-anticipated verdict has yet to be delivered, with Maguire not expecting any development until the autumn.

"At least October is probably the right assessment," Maguire told a special Football Daily episode on whether City can return to the top of English football.

"We might still be having this conversation next spring with so many charges and so many pieces of evidence.

"For Everton's relatively narrow breach of the rules there was 50,000 pieces of evidence. For Manchester City, it is a nine-year period so we're talking hundreds of thousands of pieces of evidence.

"Then you have trying to get the three people on the commission around the table, which will be challenging given they have huge commitments elsewhere. For cases that involve corporate issues of this nature, it's not unusual for it to take one or two years before you get an outcome."

When the verdict finally arrives, Maguire believes the expenses for the could multiply exponentially.

"The costs of this case could easily exceed £100m," he said. "That would have to be born by both parties, or potentially if there is a crushing victory, then it could be that the other is seeking costs. It could get very messy.

"City will have prepared a series of budgets depending upon good, moderate or bad outcomes here. Nottingham Forest and Everton had a six and a four-point deduction.

"I think it is fair to say should the case go against City you can add a zero to those numbers in which case they would suddenly be in a relegation fight. They would have to come up with a budget for dealing with football in the Championship."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Image source, Getty Images

Spanish football expert and BBC Sport columnist Guillem Balague says Pep Guardiola will "100%" retire from club football management after the end of his current City deal but believes it also "could happen earlier".

In November 2024, while City were in the midst of a slump in form that increased speculation over his future, Guardiola signed a two-year extension to keep him at the club until the end of the 2026-27 season.

"Nobody can predict if the fire we see now in his eyes, the jokes with the players, how he came refreshed from the summer, will continue until the end of the season," Ballague told a special City-focused episode of BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.

"He's got a two-year contract and 100% after those two years he will not continue with club football. But, that could happen earlier. This could be his last season.

"So, when you ask around and try to dig, you wonder if he is excited because it is his last season or because he really feels that he has a team he can mould to create a new Manchester City.

"It would be his third version of a winning side at the club. The club have said: 'We don't care - as long as we see him this happy we don't care if this is the last season'. But it is a possibility.

"If he sees himself with the ability to continue we will see a second year, but we will not see a third year. We are seeing the end of Pep Guardiola as a club manager.

"Is it enough energy to continue this whole season or maybe two? We just don't know.

"Pep Lijnders is helping to add that energy and explosiveness and Guardiola is loving that. That is something that reinvigorates him."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds