Real Madrid get Erling Haaland message from two Man City deals

Two of the biggest deals Manchester City did in the transfer window were retentions.

And not only were the club able to hold on to Bernardo Silva (again) and Kyle Walker, they also managed to get both players to extend their contracts at the Etihad; both players have agreed to sign on until 2026 in moves that either give City three more years of service or protect valuations.

In doing so, the quiet part of a key pillar of City's transfer strategy has been shouted out loud. Everybody knows that Pep Guardiola does not want unhappy players in his squad and if a player wants to leave they can leave, but that does not mean that the Blues book the taxis for the players and wave them off.

There are very few occasions when City will not put up a fierce fight to keep their players; even with their recent misstep over Ilkay Gundogan, that decision would arguably have had less fuss if the German hadn't had such a spectacularly decisive final few months of the campaign. Respecting a player's wish to leave can exist alongside trying to persuade them to stay.

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It remains a mystery why no other club has come in with what Guardiola calls a 'proper' offer for Silva in the three summers that he has wanted to leave, even if his asking price has been moved according to the market. This year was more expensive owing to the fact that more clubs had money on top of his status as a Treble winner, and with the fees Mason Mount and Declan Rice went for it is to the loss of everyone else and the gain of the Blues that nobody valued Silva properly.

Walker came very close to joining Bayern Munich, and there were possible signs that City had taken in what had happened