Erling Haaland transfer talk & Elliot Anderson ‘guarantees’ - Man City legend Paul Dickov assesses the impact of 115-charge FFP case on Enzo Maresca’s squad

An independent commission has found City guilty of regulation breaches on an epic scale, while a damning statement from the Premier League has accused a team that enjoyed domestic dominance under Pep Guardiola of conducting “sham arrangements”.

City have maintained their innocence throughout, with an appeal against any sanctions being lodged, with the Blues convinced that they can clear their name. A long-running saga has, however, become an unwelcome distraction for fans, players, coaches and board members.

With uncertainty in the Lancashire air, inevitable questions have been asked of what severe punishments could mean for City and their star-studded squad. If points deductions, and even relegation, were to be put in place then some players may consider moves elsewhere.

Prolific striker Haaland would sit towards the top of that list, having already been linked with La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid in the not too distant past, and five years could be all that he completes at the Etihad.

Asked if the Norwegian superstar will be keeping his options open ahead of transfer windows in 2027, City cult hero Dickov - who was speaking in association with 247Bet - told GOAL: “Nobody knows. I was speaking to somebody when I was in at the club, are the players going to leave, and nobody knows.

“It's really difficult to comment until you know what the sanctions are, if they are found guilty and the appeal has not worked. I know that all the club is doing is, from all staff, not just the players, is reaffirming their stance on the matter.

“And I think, at the minute, what we're going to find, which eventually will be good to get back to football, is a really, really interesting game on Sunday. People are talking about how the players react, do they use it as a siege mentality, the world against us?

“But then, at the same time, they're experienced enough, and they're professional enough. There's a lot of players in that squad that have played in big games, in big moments, top atmospheres. So it's going to be interesting what happens on Sunday.”

City, who won the Premier League title on eight occasions between 2012 and 2024, will be back in action this weekend when heading to Liverpool - one of the teams that are ready to launch compensation claims against domestic rivals if alleged rule breaking is confirmed.

Big-money summer signings should figure prominently at Anfield, with England international Anderson and World Cup-winning Argentine Fernandez moving to Manchester in deals worth well over £100 million ($132m).

Asked if he feels for those that have been thrust under the spotlight in a sporting circus, with teenage wonderkid Ayyoub Bouaddi another of those to have been acquired, Dickov added: “Obviously, when they signed, they knew this was something that was there.

“They've obviously, I can only imagine, had guarantees when they signed about the club going forward. Maybe looking at the statements from Khaldoon [Al Mubarak] and Ferran [Soriano], that's probably only reiterated what's been going on, because their stance hasn't, from the start, from the start to the charges being made, to the appeal, the stance hasn't changed.

“I can only imagine that when the players signed in the summer, that was the exact same. Like the fans, all the players can do is just trust in the club and what they're doing.”

Despite all of the noise regarding points penalties, fines and transfer embargoes, City have opened the 2026-27 campaign in style - taking maximum points from five Premier League games to sit top of the table.

They have also reached the Carabao Cup fourth round and got a win on the board in Champions League competition. Enzo Maresca is now steering the ship, having succeeded the legendary Guardiola, and is hoping that several routes to major silverware will not be closed off by the most severe of FFP-related sanctions.