Manchester City's Strong Start After Transfer Window

Manchester City’s post-Pep wobble might already be over.

Two straight league wins, more than $400 million splashed in a fortnight, and a transfer window that ended with City outspending every club in Europe have a way of steadying nerves. Any doubts about whether this team could live with Arsenal in the title race are fading fast.

Maresca’s new monster

By deadline day, City had turned a busy summer into a statement. Enzo Fernandez and Iliman Ndiaye arrived late, pushing total spending to beyond $600 million. Before that, Morocco midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and Brazilian winger Allan had come through the door for a combined $160 million — and they are, remarkably, being spoken about as depth options.

Enzo Maresca started the season short-handed in the one area you never expect City to be light: midfield. Rodri, Bernardo Silva and Tijjani Reijnders all gone, and no replacements in sight, he was forced to push Marc Guehi — a center back by trade — into central midfield just to plug the gap.

Now? He’s spoiled.

Maresca must choose two from Elliot Anderson, Fernandez and Bouaddi to sit behind the in-form Rayan Cherki, who has already started to look like the creative hub of this remodelled side. Out wide, Ndiaye and Allan join a queue that already includes Phil Foden, Antoine Semenyo and Jeremy Doku.

Selection crisis? Not anymore. Selection headache.

Coventry walk into a storm

You fear for Coventry.

The promoted side has already been to Arsenal and escaped with a 3-0 defeat that flattered them. Now they head to a City team that looks like it has finally assembled the squad its new manager wanted.

City opened with a 2-1 win over Bournemouth and a 4-1 victory at Crystal Palace. Those might prove to have been the softest versions of Maresca’s team — incomplete squad, a coach still bedding in, players working back to full sharpness after the World Cup, and that flat Community Shield display in a 3-0 loss to Arsenal still hanging in the air.

That window has slammed shut. From this weekend on, the excuses disappear and the real judging of Maresca’s City begins.

Arsenal vs. Chelsea: the early marker

At the top of the bill sits a fixture that always crackles: Arsenal against Chelsea on Sunday.

Both sides have maximum points from two games. Arsenal, the defending champion, looks as miserly as ever at the back, yet to concede a goal. Chelsea, by contrast, has flown out of the blocks as joint top scorers with seven. One of those streaks ends at the Emirates.

Promoted Hull is the other team with two wins from two and now welcomes Aston Villa, who have taken no points so far. It’s the kind of early-season fixture that can harden belief in one dressing room and sow doubt in another.

Liverpool, stuck on back-to-back draws, travels to promoted Ipswich on Friday hunting its first win of the campaign. Drop more points there and the questions will grow louder.

Big-money debuts and familiar faces

This round could showcase some of the window’s biggest moves.

Bradley Barcola, signed by Liverpool from Paris Saint-Germain for $166 million, is in line for a debut, likely from the bench. He did not play for PSG this season as his future hung in the balance; now the expectation is clear. Liverpool paid for a difference-maker.

Jack Grealish is back at Everton on loan and could be thrown straight in against Manchester United. Ndiaye’s departure has ripped out Everton’s most dangerous attacker from last season. Grealish is being asked to fill a sizeable creative void, and quickly.

Everton’s anger boils over

The tension at Everton is not just on the pitch.

Supporters are furious with an American-owned club they feel has sleepwalked through a crucial window. Ndiaye has gone. Backup striker Beto has gone. No replacements arrived.

Late moves for Folarin Balogun and Joshua Zirkzee collapsed, leaving just one senior striker, Thierno Barry, to lead the line. For a club that flirted with disaster in recent seasons, that feels like a gamble.

The club’s fan advisory board released a stinging statement, saying it reflected “serious concerns” among supporters over how the window was handled and warning that the squad is now weaker than when the summer began.

“The gap between ambition and execution is now impossible to ignore, and it has damaged confidence in the planning, leadership and alignment of football operations,” the group said. “Supporters deserve clarity, accountability and evidence that lessons have been learned before further trust can be rebuilt.”

The Texas-based Friedkin Group is only in its second full season as Everton’s owner, but the patience around Goodison is already thin.

At the top end of the table, City and Arsenal look ready to trade blows again. At the bottom, Everton’s fans are wondering whether their club has even given itself a fair fight.