Manchester City have been linked with a host of players in the January transfer window, with new additions needed for Pep Guardiola's side to get their season back on track.
After a strong start, City's season derailed between October and December, with Guardiola's side winning just once in 13 games, losing nine games in that period. A host of injury issues and a lack of depth in certain positions has proven costly, and it now looks as if City may be prompted to make some signings this month.
Two names that have been linked with City are Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush and Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov. Marmoush has managed 18 goals and 11 assists so far this season in Germany, while 20-year-old Uzbekistan international Khusanov has proven himself as one of the best defensive prospects in world football this campaign.
So, if City were to have a dream transfer window with both of these players signing, what could happen? Let's take a look.
To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Marmoush and Khusanov to City in the January transfer window before simulating the rest of the 2024/25 season. This is how Guardiola's side performed with the duo in their squad.
Khusanov made 11 appearances across all competitions for City after joining the club, with seven of them coming from the bench. But, with Nathan Ake, John Stones, and Ruben Dias all returning to full fitness in the second half of the season, the defender's game time was limited.
As for Marmoush, the Egyptian unfortunately suffered from a handful of injury problems in his time at the club, but when he did play, he was fantastic. Being deployed behind Erling Haaland more than not, Marmoush managed to score eight goals in eight games,
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