Chapter 554: Consecutive Losses – Is Manchester City's Dynasty Coming to an End?
As it turns out, Manchester City announcing Lin Quan's contract renewal immediately was the right move.
After hearing that Lin Quan had renewed his contract with the club, De Bruyne quickly signed his new contract as well, completing his renewal with City.
The news that both players had extended their contracts brought a sigh of relief to Manchester City fans.
With these two key pillars secured, there was no longer any fear of the team falling apart.
However, the gap left by Kroos' departure needed to be filled as quickly as possible.
For a top club like Manchester City, the midfield replacement had to be both strong and experienced. They weren't looking for a backup; they needed someone with immediate impact, a starter who could perform at the highest level.
Players who fit this description are rare, and many are untouchable by their current clubs, making it difficult to find a suitable replacement in a short amount of time.
But Manchester City got lucky and found a bargain.
Borussia Dortmund's midfielder, Ilkay Gündoğan, had already agreed terms with Barcelona and even completed a medical, but the transfer fell through due to Barcelona's transfer restrictions.
Gündoğan was eager to leave Dortmund, and when he learned that Manchester City was interested in signing him, he quickly agreed to their offer without hesitation.
It was no joke—City was the reigning Champions League champion, the top club in the five major European leagues.
Meanwhile, Dortmund, after losing many key players and their coach, had seen their strength plummet and were no longer able to challenge Bayern Munich's dominance.
Moreover, Dortmund had turned into a selling club, prioritizing profits over pursuing honors, which led ambitious players like Gündoğan to seek new opportunities.
With the player eager to leave, the transfer negotiations went smoothly.
Since Gündoğan's contract with Dortmund was nearing its end, the German club didn't demand an astronomical fee. After some bargaining, the transfer was completed for 26 million euros.
This transfer didn't attract much attention, given its relatively low fee, especially compared to the huge sums dominating transfer news.
Compared to the departing Kroos, Gündoğan's reputation was much lower.
This was partly because he came from a smaller club, and partly due to his inconsistent performances in recent years, plagued by frequent injuries that caused him to miss many games for both his club and the national team.
In contrast, Kroos had an almost perfect resume over the past four years—four Champions League titles and the role of Germany's midfield maestro. Such success made him widely regarded as the best midfielder in the world.
It's no wonder that Kroos' transfer to Real Madrid caused such a huge stir in the football world—his recent performances had been outstanding.
In comparison, Gündoğan seemed far inferior. Many people believed he was a full tier below Kroos in terms of ability.
If Manchester City planned to rely on Gündoğan as a starter, it seemed inevitable that their midfield would weaken.
As a result, many pundits began to doubt Manchester City, shifting their support to Real Madrid and predicting that Real Madrid would end City's reign as Champions League holders.
However, a low transfer fee doesn't necessarily mean a player is weak. Gündoğan was still young and highly adaptable. With the right coach, he could potentially fulfill his untapped potential.
And fortunately for him, Manchester City had a coach known for developing players.
With new signings, there were also departures. Upon learning that City had signed Stones, backup defender Antonio Rüdiger, who had seen little playing time last season, became disheartened and sought a move to a club where he could be a starter.
After trying to convince him to stay, Guardiola ultimately chose to respect the player's decision.
Roma, who had been interested in Rüdiger for some time, quickly acted, submitting a bid to Manchester City. After some negotiation, the deal was sealed for 32 million euros.
Guardiola then addressed the team's full-back position by signing Real Madrid's backup defender Danilo for 30 million euros.
Since Danilo had come from Porto's "shop" (a club known for selling players at high prices), Lin Quan advised Guardiola to think carefully before making the move.
However, Guardiola seemed to disregard Lin Quan's advice, possibly because he couldn't find a better alternative in such a short time.
Thus, the deal was finalized.
Real Madrid was more than happy to offload Danilo. While they had paid more to buy him from Porto, the player couldn't establish himself in the team and had many shortcomings. Keeping him around only wasted a squad spot and salary.
Selling him helped Real Madrid recover some funds and eased their wage bill, which was strained after the costly acquisition of Kroos.
Although Kroos was an excellent player, his high price had left Real Madrid with some financial strain.
After completing these transfers, Guardiola stopped making moves and instead promoted a group of young players from the youth academy, planning to give them more opportunities in the new season.
City's youth academy was overflowing with talent, with players like Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden, and Erling Haaland shining in youth leagues. Many knew that City's academy had three extraordinary young talents.
If not for the club's excellent protection, these young players might have already been poached by other top clubs.
With transfers done, City's pre-season training began.
As in previous years, Manchester City once again traveled to Asia to participate in the International Champions Cup and other warm-up matches.
These matches featured many top clubs, providing a good opportunity to test the team's young players.
City found themselves grouped with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Manchester United, with their first match against Bayern.
Since these games didn't limit substitutions, Guardiola fielded an almost entirely second-string lineup in the first half.
Haaland, Foden, and Sancho all got playing time.
Of the three, only Haaland performed well, while the other two struggled.
German teams are known for their physical strength and power, and the technical skills of Foden and Sancho were stifled by Bayern's intense physical pressure.
In contrast, Haaland, despite lacking technical finesse, used his physical strength to create a chance and scored a goal.
However, with Bayern playing a mix of starters and backups, City was completely dominated in the first half, trailing 4-1 at halftime after conceding four goals.
This result left Foden, Haaland, and the others deeply frustrated as they realized the significant gap between themselves and the first-team regulars.
Guardiola, seeing their downcast expressions, exchanged a knowing glance with Lin Quan, and they both couldn't help but chuckle.
These youngsters had been dominating the youth leagues and had become overconfident, constantly clamoring for a place in the first team.
Well, now that they had their chance, they got a taste of reality.
Although these players were incredibly talented, it was clear that their time to dominate the football world had not yet come. They would need to patiently continue their development.
Compared to Foden, Haaland, and the other players born in 2000, Kylian Mbappé, born in 1998, was already 18 years old.
His physical abilities and technical skills were superior to the younger players. So, in the second half, Guardiola brought him into the starting lineup, replacing David Silva as the left winger.
Mbappé was extremely lively after coming on, using his speed and dribbling to create several chances down the wing.
Seeing Mbappé's energy, Lin Quan frequently passed the ball to him, helping him complete a hat-trick in the second half and tie the game.
However, Bayern regained the lead from a set-piece in the dying minutes and ultimately defeated Manchester City 5-4.
Although the team lost, Mbappé was overjoyed.
After the match, he danced and sang excitedly in the locker room, transforming into a "dance king."
In the following matches, Guardiola continued to give the young players plenty of opportunities, allowing them to feature in almost every game.
Foden and the others adjusted their attitudes after the first match, no longer treating their opponents lightly and looking down on everyone.
Although they still struggled with physical duels, their improved mindset meant they were no longer as frustrated and dejected as before. They also started trying to avoid direct physical confrontations and instead relied on team coordination to create chances.
While the results weren't impressive, their efforts earned Guardiola's encouragement.
However, Manchester City continued to lose, falling 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the second match.
Their final match was against cross-town rivals Manchester United. Although it was just a warm-up game, neither team wanted to lose.
In the end, both sides fielded their strongest lineups, turning it into a fiercely contested match.
City triumphed 3-1, ending their Asian tour with one win and two losses.
During City's training camp in China, some local clubs had invited them to play a friendly match.
However, Guardiola, mindful of the schedule and the players' fitness levels, politely declined.
After returning to Manchester, the team rested for a week as they prepared for the start of the new Premier League season.
City arranged a friendly match with Arsenal.
This summer, Arsenal had been very active in the transfer market.
Perhaps it was because they had finally paid off the loan for the Emirates Stadium, or maybe the owners had finally decided to spend money.
Arsenal had completed several big signings in the transfer window.
They bought Granit Xhaka from Borussia Mönchengladbach for 45 million euros and signed center-back Shkodran Mustafi from Valencia for 41 million euros.
They also spent 20 million euros on striker Lucas Pérez from Deportivo La Coruña and brought in Japanese international Takuma Asano from Sanfrecce Hiroshima for 4 million euros, thanks to support from the Japanese Football Association.
Including various smaller transfers, Arsenal had spent over 100 million euros that summer, a far greater outlay than Manchester City's net spending of less than 50 million euros—less than half of Arsenal's expenditure.
Having spent so much money, and with City having lost a key midfielder, Arsenal clearly had high hopes for this friendly match.
They might not have expected to beat City, but they wanted to test City's current strength and see how much weaker they had become.
Arsenal still harbored hopes of winning the title, and if City truly faltered, Arsenal might have a chance.
Arsenal took the game seriously, but Manchester City didn't.
Guardiola fielded a mixed lineup of first-teamers and backups.
Sergio Agüero shone in the first half, scoring twice after assists from Lin Quan and Mbappé to give City a 2-0 lead.
Arsenal were stunned—was City's second-string squad really this strong?
Is this for real?
Wenger frowned, pondering deeply, and decided to change tactics at halftime.
The adjustment paid off. In the second half, goals from Xhaka and Theo Walcott brought Arsenal level.
Buoyed by their comeback, Arsenal pressed hard in the final stages and scored a scrappy goal in the 89th minute, sealing a 3-2 victory.
Although it was just a friendly, Arsenal's players were ecstatic when the final whistle blew. They hugged each other in celebration, as if they had won a major trophy.
It wasn't easy—after years of being humiliated by Manchester City, they had finally turned the tables.
For the past few seasons, City had been dominant, leaving Arsenal with no chance. Instead, they had often been embarrassed by City.
Now, Arsenal had finally gotten their revenge. How could they not be excited and happy?
While it was only a friendly match, City's performance raised concerns among other Premier League teams.
Everyone noticed that Manchester City didn't seem as strong as before.
They completely lost control in the second half, getting overrun by Arsenal for the entire 45 minutes.
This was very strange, because the Manchester City they knew would never have played like this before.
Could it be that Kroos' departure had seriously weakened City to this extent?
If that were the case, then the new Premier League season just got a lot more interesting for everyone!
(End of Chapter)
Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.
You can also buy the book if you are only interested in reading the novel.