Pep Guardiola proved his doubters wrong in Man City transfer window

Eyebrows were raised from some sectors after Ilkay Gundogan departed Manchester City.

Not only was Gundogan the captain of the Treble-winning City squad, he was also one of their most important players. Throughout his time in Manchester, the German midfielder could be relied upon to come up trumps when the Blues needed him most.

To see him depart on a free at the end of the season was a tough one for some City fans to take but perhaps the replacement who was lined up concerned fans more. Mateo Kovacic's arrival from Chelsea was seen as the direct replacement for the 32-year-old by fans even if the club did not agree.

While his ability to fit into the Pep Guardiola system could not be questioned, his age could. At 29, the Croatian is no spring chicken and for once it felt like the Blues boss was looking at short-term gain rather than the bigger picture.

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But, as we have come to expect with Guardiola, there is always a long-term plan. The additions of Josko Gvardiol and Jeremy Doku were a clear nod to the future at 21 years of age while 25-year-old Matheus Nunes is a player who will also be seen as a player for the next five to 10 years.

While their minutes have been limited to date, City's team is still a lot younger on average than it was last season. In the Treble-winning campaign, the average age of the Premier League XI was 27.7 but this has dropped to 26.9 this term.

Despite concerns about the long-term vision when replacing Gundogan, clearly Guardiola's plan was to lower the average age of his squad and set the team up for the next five to 10 years. Incredibly, City already have a wealth of talent 23 and below.

The likes of Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez and