Liverpool and Manchester City struck by a dangerous problem ahead of second part of the season
Compared to Manchester City, Liverpool had a better transfer window in the last decade on very few occasions. However, at present, it seems that Liverpool has outperformed City in their January transfers.
The most notable move from either team was not a new addition but rather a departure. City loaned Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich after a reported disagreement with Pep Guardiola.
Guardiola is known for his fondness for full-backs and Cancelo played a crucial role in City’s recent success. His sudden departure, having been part of the PFA Team of the Year for two seasons, came as a surprise.
City only added Maximo Perrone, a 20-year-old midfielder who made his professional debut in March 2022, to their squad. It’s unlikely he’ll have a major impact in the near term. City’s roster is now weaker than it was at the start of 2023.
Even though Liverpool did not address their most glaring weakness by acquiring a midfielder, they did add a promising young player who should contribute immediately.
Cody Gakpo has yet to score a goal since joining the club during a turbulent period on the field. His career statistics indicate that it is only a matter of time before he scores or assists a goal.
The relative lack of spending by the Premier League’s top two teams from last season has been starkly contrasted by the extraordinary spending by Chelsea (both last month and across the last year).
City and Liverpool do not need to sign as many players to improve their already strong squads, but Todd Boehly’s actions will have sent shockwaves through other major clubs in England and Europe.
By Chelsea’s standards, every other club appears to have done little business or spent excessive amounts of money.
However, the Blues are a significant outlier, and there were undoubtedly teams with potentially better transfer windows than Liverpool and their Manchester City rivals.
Without acquiring a superstar, Arsenal has made some solid additions to its roster. Leandro Trossard is a hard-working forward, as the Reds are well aware, while Jorginho has won nearly everything and thus brings experience and knowledge. They should assist the Gunners in maintaining their unexpected title challenge.
Newcastle will hope that Anthony Gordon contributes similarly to their Champions League qualification efforts.
Liverpool may have gotten a better winger for roughly the same price in January, but Newcastle bolstered an area of their roster that was in greater need of reinforcement than the Reds.
Time will tell which club made the better deal, but if Everton are relegated in May, it wasn’t them.
Liverpool supporters may have viewed Manchester United’s actions with some degree of envy. They did not acquire world-class players, but they utilized the loan market to strengthen their roster, something the Reds have been unable to do with temporary signings of Steven Caulker, Ozan Kabak, and Arthur Melo during the Jurgen Klopp era.
With the way Arsenal, Newcastle, and United have performed this season, and with Chelsea attempting to build an expensive new squad, it appears that City and Liverpool’s reign as undisputed champions is coming to an end.
Clearly the Reds are at a far greater risk of losing their Champions League spot, and unlike City, they cannot spend their way back into the competition.
There is, however, a faint resemblance to “The Thrilla in Manila,” the legendary third match between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.
After fourteen grueling rounds, neither fighter was able to rise from their stool to continue. Who could fault Liverpool and the Cityzens for feeling alike (in footballing terms) after a five-year struggle? The January transfer window may have revealed that both clubs are poised for relative periods of transition, with the Premier League sands shifting significantly.
Liverpool and Manchester City struck by a dangerous problem ahead of second part of the season
