Manchester City's late-window push has a simple frame from Enzo Maresca: more numbers, more competition, and two players in every position. "I think the right idea is to have two players in each position," Maresca said, as the club works towards Tuesday night's 11pm deadline.
Maresca's squad-depth demand
Maresca tied the transfer push to workload and rotation. "In this moment we have three or four in this number who are Academy players, so thinking we are playing maybe 65 games this season we probably need more numbers," he said. He also added, "They need to compete between them." The line from him was repeated again when he said, "The standard is higher when they compete for every game."
The numbers around Manchester City support the point. They have started the Premier League season with two wins from two, but only 12 different players have started league games so far. Maresca has not sold that as a crisis, but he has made clear he wants more cover before the window shuts.
What the late-window work still has to cover
One deal already looks set to move through, with a deal for Allan from Palmeiras agreed and due to be formalised. That still leaves the broader squad question Maresca has put front and centre. He said, "At the moment we have 21, 22 players and that can be the right number," but his fuller view was sharper: City probably need more numbers for the season ahead.
The opening weeks have not been bad for City, but they have also shown how narrow the starting group has been. If the club add late, it will be because the manager wants the squad built for the load he expects, not because two wins from two have changed his mind.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
