Pep Guardiola's 10 best Man City signings

Updated: 23 Nov 2022 12:53 GMT
4 min read

Riyad Mahrez and Ruben Dias celebrate for Manchester City in EPL 2021/22 — © ProShots

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has signed a two-year extension at the club, keeping him there until the summer of 2025.

This comes as great news to the club’s faithful and bad news for the rest of the Premier League given City’s domination over the last few years.

Article continues under the video

Over the course of time, Guardiola has made a host of singings at the club, most of whom have been quite successful at the club.

So, what are his 10 best signings since joining Manchester City in 2016.

10. Gabriel Jesus

Gabriel Jesus joined the Manchester City first team in January 2017 having agreed a deal in the summer prior and he had a good start to life. Despite being the understudy to Sergio Aguero for the first part of his time there, he developed well at the club.

Over his five-and-a-half year stay, he scored 95 goals in 236 appearances before departing for Arsenal in the summer transfer window this year.

9. Leroy Sane

It’s often forgotten how good Leroy Sane was in his time at Manchester City because of the manner of his exit and his injury issues but he did exceptionally well in his time there.

He was influential in Manchester City’s title win of 2018-19 when they defended their crown having been named the PFA Young Player of the Year in the season before, showing he was a stellar signing.

8. Riyad Mahrez

Another attacking player on the list and it comes in the form of Algerian winger Riyad Mahrez, who joined from Leicester City in 2018.

The winger has been consistent in that time and had an important role to play in their run to the Champions League final in 2021, where they lost to Chelsea.

7. Aymeric Laporte

The first defensive signing on the list comes in the form of Aymeric Laporte, who joined the club from Athletic Club back in January 2018.

He was an immediate success, being a part of their centurions team and was a consistent presence in the team before the arrival of Ruben Dias in 2021.

6. John Stones

Stones was one of Guardiola’s first signings at Manchester City and he has had a successful tenure in his time at the Etihad Stadium.

He has been a part of many league-winning teams over the years and his contributions to the 2018-19 side was particularly important.

5. Kyle Walker

Guadiola made it clear he needed new full-backs in the summer of 2017 after a difficult first season at the club and he brought in Kyle Walker, amongst others.

Walker has emerged to become one of the leaders in the Manchester City team and has become a stalwart in Pep Guardiola’s set-up.

4. Rodri

The deepest midfielder in Pep Guardiola’s team are probably the most important and Rodri has proven them, having seen him become one of the world’s best since signing in 2019.

His excellent reading of the game is much-needed and Guardiola’s decision to leave him on the bench for the 2021 Champions League final defeat proved to be costly and showed how important the Spaniard is.

3. Bernardo Silva

Bernardo Silva joined the club after a stunning season with Monaco in 2017 and immediately became a star, providing a unique boost of creativity in the team.

He has played a host of positions for the club and his contributions in the title win of 2022 established him as one of the most important figures in Manchester City’s team.

2. Ilkay Gundogan

Ilkay Gundogan was Guardiola’s first big-name signing having joined in 2016 and he has delivered in that time, becoming one of the leaders in the ranks before being named club captain this season.

He was immense in 2020-21, spurring on a title win for the club before his final day heroics against Aston Villa at the end of last season.

1. Ederson

It’s imperative for Guardiola teams to be great from the back and Ederson brings plenty of qualities, which is why Guardiola was willing to spend a world-record figure for him in 2017.

Ederson has the odd error in him but he’s been an ever-present figure in Manchester City’s team over the years, enjoying plenty of success.