Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has never been one to shy away from tactical scrutiny, often acknowledging the noise surrounding his team selections. Following the stalemate at the London Stadium, the spotlight has fallen firmly on his handling of Rayan Cherki, whose impact as a substitute stood in stark contrast to the starters' output.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has officially ended a surprising four-year drought by being named the Premier League Manager of the Month for February. Despite City’s relentless dominance and trophy hauls in recent seasons, the Catalan tactician had famously not picked up the individual monthly accolade since December 2021, marking a significant gap for a coach of his undisputed standing in the English game.

Pep Guardiola has claimed that he is not a "big, big fan" of the January transfer window, but Manchester City's recent winter business suggests otherwise. City have signed six players in the last two January windows, spending a total of £264 million ($353m) in the process. But whereas last year's purchases smacked of desperation, the recent acquisitions of Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo are looking like masterstrokes.

Manchester City moved to within two points of Premier League leaders Arsenal thanks to a 1-0 win away at Leeds United on Saturday. Leeds were unbeaten in their previous 25 evening games at Elland Road but they saw that run snapped by a City side who were without Erling Haaland, who pulled out of the fixture with a minor injury.

The 2026 winter window closed on Monday, with Jorgen Strand Larsen's £48 million move from Wolves to Crystal Palace the biggest deal done on deadline day. Truth be told, though, it was a pretty tame end to what's been a fairly quiet month in the transfer market. Indeed, aside from Manchester City, most of Europe's top teams did next-to-no mid-season business, while there was very little movement at all in France, Germany or Spain - which wasn't that surprising, given January is traditionally a tough time to find good value for money.

January is a notoriously bad time for buyers because nobody ever wants to sell top talent midway through the season. There are, however, exceptions to the rule. Some clubs need to raise funds to balance the books, while others can be left with not option but to unload an unhappy player who has made it clear that he wants to join a stronger side.