Man City have 115 charges problem in January transfer window after double call

Pep Guardiola can't win at the minute when he steps out in public for his job.

Every word and action from the dugout or press conference room is latched on by anyone with an opinion to extract supposed bigger consequences as Manchester City's atrocious run of form places more microscopes over the Etihad. The same 'body language expert' who used an interview Guardiola did with Italian TV in October to assert that the City manager had 'already accepted an offer' to leave has moved on to peddle new revelations.

As Guardiola has said, he was never cool - you only have to watch one game with him on the touchline to see that - but winning made him cool. Now nothing he does can make him look good, but claw marks over his head or a bloodied nose will draw extra attention.

City as a club enter the January transfer window in a similar position. It is nearly two years since the Premier League charges dropped and 'business as usual' is a phrase that has often been used inside the Etihad to describe their activities: new contracts and sponsorship deals have been signed, trophies have been won, and hundreds of millions of pounds have been spent in the transfer market - everything you would expect from a club that expects to be cleared of wrongdoing in their arbitration hearing.

Except, with the hearing over and a verdict coming in 2025, it is anything but business as usual on pitch. The team is in crisis and each game gives more evidence to make the case for a major reset and rebuild in the coming transfer markets; if City are to save their season from spiralling further to avoid making that more difficult, action in January looks increasingly necessary.

The decision not to pursue moves for Bruno Guimaraes and Martin Zubimendi next