Manchester City

Dan Roan
Sports editor

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Finally, after years of build-up, perhaps English football's biggest and most controversial contest is set to begin.

On one side, the Premier League. On the other, its defending champions and dominant force Manchester City.

City face 115 charges for allegedly breaking the financial rules of the competition they have won for a record-breaking four consecutive seasons.

Those charges will be heard at an independent hearing, which is set to start on Monday at an unknown location, subject to any late legal delays. Billed as sport's 'trial of the century', it is expected to run for 10 weeks, with a verdict expected in early 2025.

It marks a defining stage in a legal dispute the like of which the game has never seen and which could bring seismic consequences for both sides.

This, after all, involves one of the world's most successful clubs being accused of serial cheating by the very league it has dominated for years. A club at the centre of a global network of 13 teams across five continents, owned by a billionaire member of Abu Dhabi's ruling family, whose sovereign wealth has transformed the landscape of the sport.

The case involves an unprecedented catalogue of 115 allegations spread over 14 seasons, including multiple charges of subverting the regulations by failing to provide accurate financial information.

City have always strongly denied the charges, and while the speculation is intensifying, no-one knows what the outcome - expected early next year - will be.

If found guilty of the most serious charges, City would risk being forever associated with one of the biggest financial scandals in sport. City could, in theory, face a points deduction serious enough to condemn them to relegation - or even expulsion - from the Premier League.

Such a fate would cast a long shadow over City's achievements, plunge the future of the manager and squad into uncertainty, and possibly spark claims for compensation from other clubs. It has been suggested that such a stain on the reputation of City and the club's owners could even affect Britain's relationship with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a key Gulf ally and trading partner - whose president is the brother of the club’s majority owner Sheikh Mansour.

Equally, if City are cleared following a legal battle that is already thought to have cost both sides tens of millions of pounds, major questions will be asked of the Premier League.

But whatever verdict is reached after a hearing set to last several weeks, the impact could be profound, dictating the story of this season.

Read Dan Roan's full explainer of the Premier League's case against Manchester City

Anyone for some Norwegian salmon, or raw milk?

Manchester City defender Kyle Walker says the food at the club has "gone up a notch" since Erling Haaland's arrival and the players are very grateful for it.

Listen to the latest 'You'll Never Beat Kyle Walker' podcast, available now on BBC Sounds

Liverpool have stepped up their interest in Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala, 21, with Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris St-Germain all monitoring the Germany international. (Caughtoffside, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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We asked for your views on what is going under the radar at Manchester City.

After winning a record-breaking fourth consecutive Premier League title last season, City have started the season as they would have hoped to have done - winning all three Premier League games. Our query each week is simple - what is one thing nobody is talking about but should be?

Here are some of your comments:

Timothy: It's a case of so far, so good. Top of the table and a great team spirit bodes well for the rest of the season. All this with Rodri not making the team sheet. Looks ominous when he's on the pitch dominating. Haaland has been majestic and clinical with his two hat-tricks. Also return of Jack Grealish along side KDB. Yes, another Premier League.

Rhiannon: Two things no one is talking about. Savinho coming and being tasked with replacing Mahrez has done his job, he arguably won us the first home game of the season challenging the goalkeeper and forcing the mistakes which led to goals - the perfect Mahrez replacement. Haaland's form already has been unstoppable. Guardiola again has carved Haaland into another being.

Abdullah: The one thing that has gone under the radar is Mateo Kovacic. He is unreal. As much as I love Gundogan and want him in the team, I didn't really think we needed him that much because of Kovacic. He is so versatile and smart. The backup for Rodri is already with us. The box-to-box midfielder that you could argue we need is already here. One to watch.

Liam: Rico Lewis. He's been absolutely exceptional so far and Kyle Walker might struggle to get his place back. The improvement in Kovacic has been important too.

Fraser: We concede too many deflected goals or own goals. All three of our Premier League losses last season had either a deflected goal or an own goal and the two goals we've conceded this season have been easily avoidable. Pep needs to sort out our closing down on the opposition or it will start to become a serious worry.

Anton: I'm surprised no one, including commentators, pick up on how poor a goalkeeper Ederson is. So many first shots on goal by the opposition get scored. Ipswich did it. United did it in the Community Shield but it was disallowed for offside. He's a really poor shot stopper.

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Kyle Walker says David Silva is the best player he has played with in his Manchester City career, just edging out Kevin de Bruyne and Sergio Aguero.

Silva played alongside Walker from 2017 to 2020, winning two Premier Leagues, two FA Cups and three Carabao Cups together.

The Spain midfielder spent a transformational decade at City before joining Real Sociedad in 2020 and retiring in the summer of 2023.

"It's David [Silva], I think," Walker said when posed the question on the latest episode of You'll Never Beat Kyle Walker. "I think he just pips Kevin. Kun [Sergio Aguero] was also incredible. That's my personal opinion.

"You could pass [Silva] a ball and it'd be a bad ball but he'd make it look good.

"He wasn't the quickest [but it was] how he could turn and his manipulation of his body. I think with him and Leroy [Sane] on that side of my first couple of years, they just complimented each other so, so well.

"He learned Leroy's game probably before Leroy knew his game. He just knew where Leroy wanted the ball, when he wanted the ball and how he wanted the ball.

"Now Kevin does things that are incredible. The other day when we were playing West Ham, we've taken a short corner and he's gone to shoot at goal. [Alphonse] Areola's made an unbelievable save, but you'll see that nine times out of 10 and you think, "I'm going to do that" but you don't do it.

"I think that's just why he is what he is and he's done what he's done, especially over the past seven years since I've been here."

Tell us who you think is the best Walker has played with

Listen to the new episode on BBC Sounds

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Manchester City have released their fourth shirt for the upcoming season.

"Marking the 30th anniversary of Oasis’ iconic album Definitely Maybe, the special-edition kit draws inspiration from the album cover that defined a generation," said a club statement.

City have confirmed that the kit will only be worn in 'select European fixtures', the first of which being next week's Champions League opener against Inter Milan.

Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher, who was involved in designing the kit said: "I loved City before anything. I was into City before I was into music - I was into City before I knew what music was.

"Definitely Maybe is what set us on our way. The record lasting as long [as it has]? You can’t predict that kind of thing. It’s a great working class, Mancunian record – it’s real.

"People say that thing of if you walked up to your 16-year-old self and said, 'in 40 years you'll be designing kits for the team' you'd be like 'what?'.

"When Puma approached us at one of the games about designing a kit, it took about five seconds to agree to it. It’s the same colour palette as the cover of Definitely Maybe: it’s unique but it’s definitely striking, and I think it looks great.

"When you see people representing your club - it’s important that they look good."

Chris Collinson
BBC Sport statistician

Erling Haaland has started the Premier League season on fire - having scored six non-penalty goals from an xG of just three. The striker is also enjoying his best 10-game finishing streak since he first arrived at the Etihad (it is best to exclude penalties when analysing a player's finishing).

An incredible first 10 games in 2022-23 saw him score six more goals than expected, given the quality of chances he had (14 non-penalty goals from an xG of just 8.1), although his finishing did cool off as the campaign went on.

The Norway international's spell on the sidelines with a foot injury, at the start of this year, actually caused his finishing to suffer - as he scored just four non-penalty goals, from an xG of 6.2, in his first eight games back.

But, following the international break in March, the goal machine recalibrated his aim and finished the 2023-24 season strongly. After a summer of rest, he has also started this campaign in fine form.

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Kyle Walker has revealed the details behind Erling Haaland phenomenal Manchester City form - and it includes Norwegian salmon and raw milk.

Seventy goals in 69 Premier League appearances would indicate the striker's regime is working.

"High maintenance Erling," Walker told the You'll Never Beat Kyle Walker podcast. "In a good way.

"I think he's very professional - but he does like his treatment. He does like his massages, ice baths - you know, his juices have to be right. But, I think he's just looking after his body.

"The food's changed [since Haaland joined]. I can tell you that. Norwegian salmon, raw milk... he brings all that in

"To be fair, he looks after the lads."

Listen to the new episode on BBC Sounds

It is Erling Haaland's third season at Manchester City and with 97 goals - and counting - he continues to be the most-wanted number nine in the world.

For a man that makes every strike look effortless, here are five standout goals from his City career so far.

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Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool are interested in Sunderland's 17-year-old English midfielder Chris Rigg. (Givemesport), external

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich director of sport Max Eberl says the German giants will hold further discussions with Jamal Musiala about extending his deal after the 21-year-old Germany forward was linked with Manchester City. (90 Min, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Three games. Three wins. Top of the table. It's been business as usual so far for Manchester City in 2024-25.

But you've been watching them more closely than anyone and we want to hear from you.

What is the one thing nobody is talking about - good or bad?

Tell us over here, external - and we'll feature your replies on Thursday

In the latest episode of You'll Never Beat Kyle Walker, the defender says it was the "right call" for him to be left out of the latest England squad and is joined by best friend and former midfielder Michael Brown to chat all things Manchester City.

Listen to the new episode on BBC Sounds

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Netherlands boss Ronald Koeman has said the issue that forced Nathan Ake to be taken off on a stretcher during the Nations League draw with Germany in Amsterdam "looks like a muscle injury".

Manchester City defender Ake was carried off on the stroke of half-time after picking up what appeared to be a hamstring problem.

Koeman added that further tests were needed to diagnose the injury.

Ake, 29, made his first Premier League appearance of the season for Pep Guardiola's side in the 3-1 win at West Ham just before the international break, coming on as a late substitute.

"It looks like a muscle injury for Nathan, though I am not certain," Koeman said post-match.

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Brentford remain the last team to win at Manchester City in any competition, beating Pep Guardiola's side 2-1 in November 2022.

The Citizens have since gone unbeaten for 45 games at Etihad Stadium (W38 D7).

Freddie Pye
Fan writer

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When Manchester City signed Matheus Nunes from Wolves at the end of the 2023 summer transfer window, not many supporters could have imagined his Etihad Stadium career going the way it has done so far.

There has been a clear lack of opportunities, uncertainty over where he is best suited within Pep Guardiola’s tactical blueprint, and concerns over whether we were about to see a similar situation to that experienced by Kalvin Phillips.

These are all subjects that continue to be mooted by City supporters, and even more so given the re-signing of Ilkay Gundogan and the integrations of James McAtee, Jacob Wright and Nico O’Reilly into the first-team set-up.

But City’s final match before the international break showcased exactly why there is plenty of hope and excitement still to be had about a player invested so heavily in over a year ago.

Nunes’ explosive pace and power over long strides on a football pitch is a trait that not many Manchester City players have, and perhaps one that has only been replicated by the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Yaya Toure in recent times.

You may think it sounds ridiculous, but we are only talking about one very specific trait here, and one that even the club's fastest current players are unable to showcase, including Jeremy Doku.

That has been an attribute of Nunes’ game that has been prevalent since he joined the club. The key problem has been grasping the responsibilities of playing in a Guardiola midfield. Knowing when to press, when to drop deep, when to keep hold of the ball, and when to distribute forward into attacking spaces. That said, Nunes’ last outing may have been a glimpse of things finally clicking into place.

Receiving the ball from Gundogan in a tight space inside his own half at London Stadium, the Portugal international was finally able to showcase his neat touches on the ball, his strength and power to dismiss of opposition players, before excellently finding Erling Haaland in space to run in behind and score to make it a second successive hat-trick.

That is the Nunes Manchester City still have in their ranks, and a clear reminder of the quality of player who can be looked towards for fresh impetus during the closing stages of tiring matches.

And with Guardiola and his players taking on additional responsibilities in the Carabao Cup and an expanded Champions League this month, balancing such challenges with a relentless Premier League schedule, there is no question that this could finally be Nunes' time to shine.

A player Guardiola once labelled as "one of the best players in the world" could be perfect for positional variability and energy in this all-conquering and highly intelligent squad after all.

Find more from Freddie Pye at City Xtra, external

Mike Minay
BBC Radio Manchester reporter

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Happy birthday Jack Grealish. The midfielder turns 29 today.

After missing out on England's Euro 2024 squad in the summer he gave himself a great present by scoring against Ireland on his return on Saturday.

Former Manchester City and England goalkeeper David Seaman says it would have been the best feeling.

"For Jack it'll be amazing," he told BBC Radio Manchester. "There's nothing better than proving people wrong.

"He's proving people wrong and that's what he does. I'm happy for him.

"He played a different role [for England] but he showed what he can do. That's what he does, he makes differences in games.

"I was shocked when Gareth [Southgate] left him out. It reminded me of when Glenn Hoddle left Gazza [Paul Gascoigne] out. It was such a shock. Not just to the fans, but the players as well.

"Everyone knows how good Jack is, the problems that he causes within teams as well. He had a massive smile on his face at the weekend."

Grealish's game time with City was also limited last season and partly through injury, partly through Pep Guardiola's choices, but Seaman expects him to feature more this season.

"He's showing us already how good a player he is," he added.

"He can get better there's no doubt about it. Last year he didn't play as much as he wanted to do, but when he came on he still came on and affected games."

Watch a clip of Seaman speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, external

Listen to Total Sport on BBC Radio Manchester every weeknight at 18:00 and listen to every Manchester City game - home and away - live on BBC Radio Manchester.

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No club in European football has spent more on transfers than Chelsea since 2015.

That's according to data delivered by the highly-respected CIES Football Observatory., external

In its monthly report, the organisation says the Blues have spent 2.78bn euros since 2015 - around £2.35bn. Manchester City are second on the list, on 1.96bn euros, with Manchester United third on 1.95bn euros (around £1.65bn).

The figures form part of a spending-heavy culture in the Premier League. England's top flight has committed over 23bn euros (£19.42bn) to transfers since 2014, with Italy's Serie A second on 10.84bn euros (£9.1bn).

The Premier League's net spend is over 11.5bn euros - around £9.7bn, a stark contrast to Portugal's Primeira Liga, which has made a net profit of over 2.34bn euros since 2015.

Drilling into the data more, Manchester United have made a net spend in every year across the 10-year period. Benfica, by contrast have made a net profit in nine of the 10 seasons on transfers. United's consistent buying means they are the club with the biggest net spend in Europe since 2015 as Chelsea have recouped over half of their spend through player sales.

In its report, the CIES says: "From a club point of view, Chelsea stands out clearly with €2.78 billion invested on transfer fees over the last decade, 42% more than the second biggest spenders: Manchester City and Manchester United. The latter club has the most negative net transfer spending (€1.30 billion), while SL Benfica has the most positive one (+€816 million)."

The Premier League's summer transfer window saw clubs spend almost £2bn in all.

Data from Footballtransfers.com, external shows the biggest net spend by a club - that’s all the money spent minus all that came in from sales - was Brighton.

The Seagulls had a net spend of £153.5m.

On the flip side, the club who generated the biggest net summer profit on transfers was Manchester City, who made £115.8m, thanks in large part to the sale of Julian Alvarez.