Guardiola news conference - what's on the agenda?published at 11:54 30 August
11:54 30 August
Mike Minay BBC Radio Manchester reporter
Image source, Getty Images
It should be a straightforward news conference for Pep Guardiola later. His team have smoothly started the Premier League with two wins from two.
Transfer deadline day will, of course, be on the agenda, although it is my understanding it will be quiet on that front for the Blues - both with ins and outs.
There will be a check on the fitness of Rodri, who is yet to feature this season, and Guardiola may be asked about the England call-ups, with four City players in Lee Carsley’s first Three Lions selection.
And with the Champions League draw having taken place and City learning their opponents there might be a question on this - but past experience tells me it will be met with an “it is what it is” approach from the manager.
Come back to this page later on for all the key lines from Guardiola.
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.
What needs to happen by deadline - the fans' verdictpublished at 07:40 30 August
07:40 30 August
We asked what you have made of Manchester City's transfer window so far, and what needs to be done on deadline day.
Here are some of your comments:
Ian: I'm more than happy with the transfer activity during this window. The squad appears to have all bases covered, with room for the emerging academy talents to become involved and hopefully prosper.
Arun: I think we need two strikers, due to the departure of Julian Alvarez and the fact that Erling Haaland can be injury prone. The depth of our forwards is not the best.
Brian: We must have a proper out-and-out striker to stand in for Haaland or to play alongside him. It would be a direct replacement for Alvarez. The rest of the squad is ideal. I just worry as a lengthy injury to Haaland could scupper our whole season, if you bear in mind those extra Champions League games and the Club World Cup games come May/June.
Alan: We really should buy Eberechi Eze. It is great that we have KDB and Gundogan, but they are both over 30 and sadly we have lost Oscar Bobb for most of this year. I believe he would add that something extra but I doubt we will go for him.
Follow all the drama unfold as the clock ticks downpublished at 07:03 30 August
07:03 30 August
Here's all you need to know about transfer deadline day on Friday...
When does the window close?
The transfer window will close at 23:00 BST on Friday, 30 August for the Premier League, English Football League and Scotland.
The date was brought forward by the domestic leagues to align with European leagues.
Across Europe, the Bundesliga window will close at 19:00, Ligue 1 at 22:00, La Liga at 22:59 and Serie A at 23:00, but the Saudi Pro League transfer window remains open until 7 September.
Can a Premier League player signed on deadline day play this weekend?
Under league rules, new signings are eligible for the next Premier League game if the club submit the required documents by midday on the last working day before that match.
So any player signed after 12:00 on deadline day would be unable to play in this round of Premier League fixtures.
Where can I see all the confirmed transfer deals on deadline day?
Clubs will be able to make transfers again from Wednesday, 1 January until Monday, 3 February at 23:00 GMT. This is the same in Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
How can I follow transfer deadline day on the BBC?
You will also find regular updates on BBC Radio 5 Live and breaking news across BBC Sport's social media channels, including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
There will also be a special edition of The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer and the Red Button from 22:00 until 23:15.
'I used to buy you on Football Manager'published at 06:19 30 August
06:19 30 August
Manchester City defender Kyle Walker has been recounting his Premier League debut and what it was like coming up against the legendary Kanu.
Man City learn first fixtures in new Champions League formatpublished at 17:38 29 August
17:38 29 August
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City's Champions League draw is complete - Pep Guardiola's side finally know which eight clubs they will meet in the new 36-team league format.
As a reminder, all of the teams that have qualified for the Champions League this year will be in one 36-team league phase, rather than the past format of eight four-team groups.
City will face: Inter Milan (H), Paris St-Germain (A), Club Bruges (H), Juventus (A), Feyenoord (H), Sporting Lisbon (A), Sparta Prague (H), Slovan Bratislava (A).
The order in which those fixtures will take place will be announced on Saturday by Uefa.
Champions League group phase dates:
Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024
Matchday 2: 1-2 October 2024
Matchday 3: 22-23 October 2024
Matchday 4: 5-6 November 2024
Matchday 5: 26-27 November 2024
Matchday 6: 10-11 December 2024
Matchday 7: 21-22 January 2025
Matchday 8: 29 January 2025
Champions League knockout stage dates:
Knockout round play-offs: 11-12 and 18-19 February 2025
'I wanted to train with Beckham'published at 15:11 29 August
15:11 29 August
Media caption,
On the latest episode of You'll Never Beat Kyle Walker, Manchester City's former Tottenham full-back reflects on how he almost got to train with David Beckham at Spurs.
England squad announced for September gamespublished at 14:20 29 August
14:20 29 August
Interim head coach Lee Carsley has named his first England squad for September's Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.
Newcastle defender Tino Livramento, Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, Lille's Angel Gomes and Chelsea's Noni Madueke are the four new caps named.
What transfer business is still needed?published at 12:54 29 August
12:54 29 August
The transfer deadline is almost upon us, so tell us what you've made of your club's business and if more is needed?
West Ham v Man City - did you know?published at 11:36 29 August
11:36 29 August
Image source, Getty Images
Erling Haaland has scored 16 goals in 10 Premier League appearances in August, averaging a goal every 52 minutes - the best minutes-per-goal ratio by a player in a particular month in Premier League history (minimum 500 minutes played).
Gossip: Kabore set for Benfica loanpublished at 07:59 29 August
07:59 29 August
Manchester City's Burkina Faso right-back Issa Kabore, 23, is set to complete a season-long loan move to Benfica. (Sky Sports), external
Guardiola gives his staff £10,000 thank you bonuspublished at 21:57 28 August
21:57 28 August
Simon Stone Chief football news reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has given a £10,000 bonus to each member of his first-team support staff as a gesture of appreciation for their work last season.
The gift was received by all City staff who work in the first-team building at the City Football Academy within the Etihad Campus.
Sources say the money came directly from Guardiola, with the overall total outlay in excess of £500,000.
It is understood to include kit men, security staff and physios.
The City boss often uses his pre-match news conferences to highlight the wider contribution beyond himself and his immediate coaches in delivering a squad that consistently hits such high standards.
Last season, City became the first team in English football to win the league title in four consecutive seasons. They also reached the Champions League quarter-finals for the seventh successive season.
They have also reached at least the semi-finals of the FA Cup for the past five years.
How does Champions League draw work?published at 18:42 28 August
18:42 28 August
Media caption,
The new-look Champions League draw will be held on Thursday from 17:00 BST and you can watch it live on the BBC Sport website.
Teams will discover which eight clubs they will meet (four at home and four away) - but no actual groups will be drawn.
All the teams will be in one 36-team league phase, as compared to the past format of eight four-team groups.
So how will the draw work?
Teams will be placed in four pots according to their seeding. Each team face two teams from each pot, one at home and one away.
A team will be drawn out of a pot and then Uefa's software will decide their eight opponents - and whether they will be at home or away.
It means more matches between the biggest teams. For example, Manchester City could face Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
The software stops teams playing rivals from their own country - and means each team can only play two clubs from any one country.
Uefa says the computer system plans ahead so will ensure no teams further down the line get drawn against teams they cannot face.
How does the new format work?
Teams who finish in the top eight will qualify automatically for the last 16, while those who place ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off for the chance to join them.
Whoever finishes 25th or lower will be eliminated and will not be entered into the Europa League.
From the last 16 onwards, the Champions League will continue to follow its existing format with the final taking place at a neutral venue - Munich this year.
The number of matches in the new format will increase from 125 to 189.
Each team will play a minimum of eight - instead of six - and a maximum of 17.
The league phase will now run until the end of January instead of ending before Christmas.
Walker speaks of 'overwhelming' move to Citypublished at 14:36 28 August
14:36 28 August
In the latest episode of You'll Never Beat Kyle Walker, the Manchester City right-back talks about signing for the club and how he and John Stones became "inseparable".
When is the Carabao Cup third-round draw?published at 12:20 28 August
12:20 28 August
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The draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup will take place on Wednesday at the conclusion of the second-round tie between Nottingham Forest and Newcastle United.
The seven English clubs involved in European competitions this season, including holders Liverpool, will enter at the third-round stage.
Ties will take place on weeks commencing 16 and 23 September.
Because there are rounds of Champions League and Europa League fixtures also scheduled for those two midweeks, the six clubs involved in those competitions - Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United - will be kept apart to ensure they can fulfil their Carabao Cup tie in the alternate midweek to their European fixture.
Those six clubs will take part in a pre-draw before Forest v Newcastle to decide if they will be at home or away in the third round, with a main draw determining the 16 ties later in the evening.
Should Chelsea progress to the next phase of the Conference League, they will not be in action in that competition again until the start of October.
Gossip: Atletico interested in Nunespublished at 07:31 28 August
07:31 28 August
Manchester City are yet to make a decision on the future of Matheus Nunes, but the club are aware of Atletico Madrid's interest in the midfielder. (ESPN), external
The 'glove-like fit' of Gundoganpublished at 12:42 27 August
12:42 27 August
Freddie Pye Fan writer
I’m holding back from waxing lyrical about Rico Lewis once again, and I’m sure editors of this column would not be too keen on BBC Sport’s Manchester City fan writing becoming a fan page for the defender.
The same goes for Erling Haaland. With now 10 City hat-tricks to his name, I’ll save my thoughts on him for another time. But if we’re being honest; what more can we even say?
This week is all about Ilkay Gundogan; the return of a history maker, a Treble-inspiring captain and a legend of an ever-fascinating football institution.
The 33-year-old is why I’m retiring from predicting transfer business. This is a story that sums up why football is so unpredictable, and why the Etihad Stadium is the pinnacle of the sport for any player at the top of their profession. As Riyad Mahrez previously stated, there is no better place in the game right now than Manchester City.
Despite initial links to the likes of Bruno Guimaraes and Adam Wharton, who both offer more long-term solutions to supporting Rodri, City’s patience has led them to a player far more immediately suitable to a challenging role.
Intentional or not, City have likely saved on a minimum spend of £65m when it comes to the aforementioned targets, too. The emergence of Gundogan as an available option was a no-brainer, and while it does leave them with work to do in later transfer windows, the impact of their legendary former captain will be seismic, on and off the pitch.
Saturday highlighted the glove-like fit of Gundogan, coming straight into Pep Guardiola’s operation and as revealed by himself, without too much in the way of tactical instruction. “I had a short meeting with Pep; he showed a few sequences,” he said.
Had City moved faster in the window, we wouldn’t be talking about a player who has been entrusted with mammoth demands so soon. That trust is invaluable, especially when it comes to Guardiola’s side maintaining their position as the team to beat. Players now have to fit in almost immediately to fend off the challenge of Arsenal and others.
When Gundogan brought an end to his stay at City last summer, not one supporter could have imagined a homecoming 12 months later. Barcelona’s ongoing struggles to compete in a precarious financial position have proven to be of great gain to Guardiola, who showed no hesitation in taking his former club’s leading chance-creator.
We can debate as much as we like when it comes to who we would want to see in Sky Blue, but ultimately Txiki Begiristain and his recruitment colleagues are the best of the best, and after everything they’ve achieved over the last decade when it comes to squad building, perhaps putting our faith in them isn’t a bad idea.
This is a club that never fails to deliver the most remarkable of stories, and who knows what the future holds for a back-up to Erling Haaland. Sergio Aguero, anyone?
Image source, Getty Images
