Man City have two weeks to solve final piece of January transfer window jigsaw

If a reminder was needed of why Manchester City are looking at a January transfer outlay that could yet creep towards £200million, the final eight minutes and injury time at the Gtech Community Stadium provided it.

In fact, there's an argument that the whole 90 minutes illustrated the desperate need for reinforcements. A 2-0 win for City would have been welcomed, of course, and with Liverpool dropping points, it would have fuelled talk of getting back in the title. In reality, it would have been papering over the cracks.

Some of those familiar feelings were on show against Brentford. Granted, City are looking better going forward, but they remain vulnerable defensively and uncompetitive in midfield. It developed into a thrilling, end-to-end, open game, not because City let it, but because they were powerless to stop it.

Those reinforcements can't come soon enough. Speaking after the game, Phil Foden welcomed the idea of a few new faces bringing a freshness to the squad. Deals have been agreed for defenders Abdukodir Khusanov, 20, from Lens, and Vitor Reis, 18, from Palmeiras, for a combined fee of £63million.

City are yet to find an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt over forward Omar Marmoush, but a deal that could nudge towards £70m for the 25-year-old remains likely. With two-and-a-half weeks of the window to go, that is a good position to be in.

The £130m or so outlay will also buy City time to finalise a fourth new arrival before the window shuts on February 3. If the right player can be signed, a holding midfielder is still on the agenda.

There is an argument that deal could be the most pivotal of all, given the issues City face in central areas. Foden touched on it on Thursday with his assessment that City