£526m before the sanction: was Manchester City preparing its last line of defence?
Did he know?
Manchester City have been dealt a heavy blow. A verdict has found them guilty on 114 charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations, closing a case built on years of investigation. It lands in the middle of a summer window in which the club spent huge sums to strengthen the squad.
According to the newspaper "Sport", the ruling came with Manchester City topping the list of the biggest-spending clubs of the summer window. Their sales reached 337.02 million euros, against spending of 526.20 million euros.
Twice in the market the club broke its own transfer record. City signed Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest for 135 million euros, then added Enzo Fernández for 145 million euros. That made Fernández the most expensive deal in the Premier League, level with Alexander Isak.
City also paid 95 million euros for Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille, taking their total midfield outlay to 375 million euros.
Reinforcements were not confined to the middle of the pitch. The club spent 70 million euros to sign Iliman Ndiaye from Everton, alongside 37.5 million euros for the winger Allan.
Three other deals ended with players leaving on loan. Winger Jeremy Monga cost 11.7 million euros and moved to Swansea City. Winger Diturbie, signed for 25 million euros, is currently at Monaco, while goalkeeper Shea Charles cost 3.5 million euros and plays for Queens Park Rangers.
The club also signed goalkeeper Rolli to fill the second-choice role, for a fee similar to the one paid for Shea Charles.
All of this business unfolds as Manchester City face a range of possible sanctions in the wake of the case. These could include:
The possible sanctions facing Manchester City:
Financial fines
Points deductions
Restrictions on registering new players
Other sanctions linked to participation in competitions, according to the final decision.
That busy window leaves Manchester City with a deep list of players. It could hand the club greater flexibility to cope with any restrictions on signings, should such a measure form part of the final sanction.
