It has been a summer of upheaval at Manchester City which has seen the Pep Guardiola era come to and a host of key players leave the club.
Guardiola's former assistant Enzo Maresca has taken over the Etihad Stadium hotseat and enjoyed an impressive start by winning all four of his Premier League games so far – including the Manchester derby on Sunday – as well his opening Uefa Champions League match away to Porto.
Player-wise, the likes of John Stones, Bernardo Silva, Nathan Ake, James Trafford, Rodri, Tijjani Reijnders, Nico Gonzalez, Omar Marmoush and Savio have all departed.
There were eight new arrivals during with Elliot Anderson, Geronimo Rulli, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Jeremy Monga, Pierce Charles Allan Elias, Iliman Ndiaye and Enzo Fernandez all joining the blue half of Manchester.
Ahead of the club's League Cup match at home to Norwich City on Thursday, Manchester City director of football Hugo Viana has spoken about the summer of change.
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Erling Haaland celebrates scoring Manchester City's goal in the 1-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 13, 2026. Getty Images -
Erling Haaland scores for Manchester City in the second half. Getty Images -
City's Phil Foden remonstrates with referee Michael Oliver after being shown a red card. Reuters -
Manchester United's Matheus Cunha shoots at goal. Reuters -
United goalkeeper Senne Lammens is beaten by Erling Haaland's finish for City. EPA -
United defender Harry Maguire and Erling Haaland of Manchester City battle for possession. Getty Images -
United's Bryan Mbeumo sees a late chance saved by the goalkeeper. Reuters -
Manchester United's Marcus Rashford hits the post from a free-kick. Reuters -
United midfielder Bruno Fernandes on the ground after clashing with Phil Foden of City. Getty Images -
United's Marcus Rashford is challenged by Matheus Nunes of City. Reuters
How do you feel the summer transfer window panned out?
We were cool and we are happy with the window. It was a different summer because a new manager came in, new faces, a World Cup. Everything was a little bit later than normal, but it was important to stay calm and stick to our plan and be patient.
We had a look at some really good options for the positions we wanted to bring in new players. I think we did a good window. When your coach is happy, you should be happy too.
And Mareca's start as manager?
Enzo knew the club already. He worked for Manchester City before. He was not a new face in the building. He has settled really well but he’s also brought his new ideas and own way [of] doing things. It’s a different approach of course.
We lost Pep, a legend of the club, but Enzo is doing really well. We are building a really strong relationship. It’s a big challenge for me, him and all of us but we have the same ambition to keep Manchester City competing to the highest level and we’re all confident.
Why do you think there were more deals between Premier League clubs?
the Premier League is a unique competition. Everyone agrees that it’s the best competition in the world and the majority of the best players are here. It’s normal when we see each other every week, we see the players live every week, it’s normal that we look a little more to the Premier League than outside.
If we can have the player with the right ingredients and qualities for the Premier League then maybe it’s better because they are already here and have no problems in terms of adaptations. For us, the most important thing is the characteristics. It’s not important if they are from Spain, Italy, Portugal or Germany, it’s that they have the right qualities and mindset to be a Manchester City player.
Is Anderson a complete midfielder?
First, he has the right mindset and work ethic that we saw for the last two or three years in the Premier League. I remember to tell him that he has to be a little more disciplined on the field because he has so much energy that he likes to run a lot and now he’s doing really well. Enzo is doing a really good job with him. He’s just [been] with us for two months. He will develop even more.
We saw that when he was playing for Nottingham Forest but also for the national team and he’s getting better and better. He’s young but at the same time he has already some really good experience. Not only with Nottingham Forest playing in Europe but in the World Cup he showed us that he’s the right person to be in that place.
How important was Fernandez's arrival?
We cannot forget that we lost very important players in the midfield position like Rodri and Bernardo. It’s important to bring the quality but also the character and the mentality that Enzo has. Enzo Maresca was working with him and knows him very well, but we can be very sure about what he can give us during the game.
He’s [been] here for three weeks and it seems that he was here for a year or two already. He’s that kind of player and mentality that we were looking for in that position because Rodri and Bernardo were really important in the last decade of the club.
What can Bouaddi achieve at the club?
It’s a very high ceiling for him. We all believe that he can be a really important player for Manchester City. We’ve followed him especially for the last year and we had a conversation with the president of Lille before the World Cup.
It’s a position that we thought we could have to be very decisive during this transfer window and Bouaddi was always the target. If we had to bring a proper number six, it will be him because of his calmness and he’s very good with the ball. We had really good information on him as a person.
What can players expect when they join City?
We have a great team around us to be honest. They really take care of the players and their families. When we bring a player, they bring a family with them too. We are really comfortable to say we have the right people around me, Enzo and the club to create the right atmosphere around the club and the family to just think about the football.
