Khaldoon Al Mubarak's 2019 verdict on £75m mistake shows new Man City transfer strategy is working

When Liam Delap was introduced for Manchester City in the FA Cup win over Fulham, he became the 12th academy graduate to get first team minutes this season.

Five more have featured on the bench as City have increasingly turned to the academy to make up matchday squads when Covid, injuries and fitness issues have hit the first team. It's an impressive figure that reflects a change that has been coming at City since 2017.

Pep Guardiola said last week that his ideal squad composition was around 15 senior players, with academy players making up the rest of the available players. But only if they are good enough, he added, making clear he won't use youngsters just for the sake of it.

So far this season, he's stuck to that approach, using the aforementioned 12 players who have graduated from, or been regulars for, the academy. As a result of the improved integration between under-23s and senior team since Project Restart in 2020, City have given new contracts to the likes of Delap, Cole Palmer, Tommy Doyle, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, James McAtee, Finley Burns, Josh Wilson-Esbrand and Oscar Bobb among others.

Maybe that deliberate contract drive, coupled with the increased game time for EDS players, came from City being burned by the exits of Jadon Sancho in 2017 and Brahim Diaz 18 months later.

Sancho wanted a better guarantee of game time, despite having not made his debut, while Diaz had featured on a handful of occasions but also left for a chance at more games. City made a decent amount on both players, Sancho leaving for £8m for Borussia Dortmund and Diaz for Real Madrid for £15m.

Speaking in May 2019, chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak reflected on those high-profile exits, particularly with Sancho impressing in the Bundesliga