How do you improve a squad that has won the Premier League, again? Manchester City have routinely struggled to find the right players for the right money that can elevate Pep Guardiola's side, and this summer has been no different.
Interest in Newcastle talisman Bruno Guimaraes wasn't strong enough to warrant going anywhere near a £100m release clause, and a look at strikers Orri Oskarsson and Kyogo Furuhashi was not enough to convince the Blues to part with any more cash.
It means they have spent just £35.6m in this window - the lowest total since 2006, two years before Sheikh Mansour bought the club - and nearly all of that money is on Brazilian winger Savinho, signed from fellow City Football Group club Troyes.
Ilkay Gundogan returned on a free transfer from Barcelona after the 33-year-old got caught up in the wider financial difficulties of the Catalan club, while young striker Divin Mubama joins as one for the future in a move worth up to £2m. ALSO READ: Man City suffer major blow as Pep Guardiola gives team news updates vs West Ham ALSO READ: Man City's final transfer of window may be completed after deadline day For an ownership who are obsessed with not losing momentum after success, on the surface such a quiet window is a major gamble.