By Martin Graham
Manchester City is set to add another name to Pep Guardiola’s long list of defensive recruits after agreeing a £20million move for the Crystal Palace and England centre-half. Marc Guehi. Once completed, the 25-year-old will become the 25th defender brought in since Guardiola took over in July 2016.
Figures from Transfermarkt show that City’s overall transfer spend during Guardiola’s reign will reach £1.93 billion, with more than £700m of that total going to defensive players. No other member of the traditional ‘top six’ has signed as many defenders in the same period.
By comparison, Liverpool have completed permanent deals for 10 defenders, Manchester United 15, Tottenham 17, Arsenal 19 and Chelsea 20. City’s approach has been notably more aggressive, reflecting Guardiola’s emphasis on control, structure and flexibility at the back.
The policy has coincided with a period of sustained success. Over the course of nine-and-a-half seasons, City have won six Premier League titles, lifted the Champions League once, won two FA Cups, won four EFL Cups and added the Club World Cup to their list of honours.
Great rates, trophies and mixed results
Among the more expensive defensive additions are Yes Guardiolwho arrived for £77m after City’s treble-winning campaign. Able to operate centrally or on the left, the Croatian quickly became a regular, missing just one league game last season. His contribution has included 11 league goals and four trophies, although a broken wrist in January has ruled him out for an extended period.
Ruben Dias he was signed by Benfica in 2020 for £65m and immediately transformed City’s backline. In his first season, City conceded just 32 goals in the league and Dias was named Premier League Player of the Year. Since then, he has collected 10 major honours, including the Champions League in 2023.
John Stonesbought from Everton in 2016 for £47.5m, he has been part of Guardiola’s plans from the start. Despite ongoing fitness issues in recent campaigns, he played a central role in the European triumph and remains City’s longest-serving player, with his contract coming to an end.
Total left Kyle Walker joined from Tottenham for £45m and became a constant presence on the right side of defence. Twice selected in the Premier League Team of the Year, Walker finally left last summer, joining Burnley after a loan spell at AC Milan, with City reshaping their options in that position.
Depth, sales and recent challenges
Nathan Akesigned for £40m from Bournemouth, has provided cover across the defensive line, helping to win 10 trophies despite repeated injury setbacks. His greatest moment came during the Champions League winning season when he started in the final, although that campaign has been interrupted by foot surgery.
Aymeric Laporte he arrived from Athletic Club in a £57m move in January 2018 and became a key figure in a highly successful spell, winning five league titles before being sold to Al-Nassr for £23.6m following the arrival of Gvardiol.
João Cancelo he was signed for £60m and finally blossomed after a slow introduction, enjoying his most productive spell in his third season. A subsequent disagreement with Guardiola led to loan spells at Bayern Munich and Barcelona before a permanent move to Al Hilal.
Beyond the headline names, City have recruited a wide range of defenders in all positions, including right-backs like Matheus Nunes, Danilo, Pedro Porro and Yan Couto, centre-backs like Manuel Akanji, Abdukodir Khusanov and Pablo Mari, and left-back options like Benjamin Mendy, Sergio Gomez and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Several never appeared in the first team, although the sales of players such as Porro, Couto and Mari generated profits.
Guehi’s expected arrival follows a string of injuries to Ruben Dias, John Stones and Gvardiol, which left Guardiola short of centre-backs during a demanding run of domestic and European fixtures. Once again, City’s response has been to return to the market, underscoring how defensive investment has been central to Guardiola’s project.
