Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has confirmed that the club still has significant work to do in the transfer market, with less than a month remaining in the summer window. Despite completing a club-record £116 million deal for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, City have made no further first-team additions, and Maresca acknowledged that the departures of several experienced players have left gaps that must be filled.
Record signing Anderson remains the only addition
Elliot Anderson, 23, became the first signing of Maresca's reign after Pep Guardiola departed the Etihad following a decade of success. The England international's arrival was seen as a statement of intent, but with the new Premier League season approaching, supporters are growing restless for more reinforcements. City have not won the league title in two years, and the pressure is mounting on Maresca to deliver a competitive squad.
In addition to Guardiola's exit, City have allowed Bernardo Silva, John Stones, Nathan Ake, and Manuel Akanji to leave, stripping the squad of considerable experience. This exodus has heightened the need for new signings, and reports suggest City are actively pursuing Chelsea winger Pedro Neto, who knows Maresca well from their time together at Stamford Bridge.
Pedro Neto chase faces £70m hurdle
Widespread reports this week claim City are interested in signing Pedro Neto, but Chelsea are demanding a hefty £70 million for the Portugal international. AC Milan are also linked with the winger, and it remains uncertain whether City will meet the asking price. Maresca, speaking ahead of City's pre-season clash with K-League All Stars in Seoul, stressed that the squad needs strengthening but insisted there is no immediate progress on new arrivals.
“Fortunately, this is a squad that doesn’t need to do many things,” Maresca told reporters. “At the same time, as we already know, the club lost important players in terms of experience like Bernardo [Silva], John [Stones], Nathan [Ake], different players. So for sure, there are things that we need to do.”
Maresca in daily contact with club officials
Asked if City are any closer to bringing in new players, Maresca replied: “No, not at the moment. The reason why I said there are things to do is because the transfer window is open and when it’s open anything can happen. Yeah, it’s just August and then from September when it’s closed it’s completely different.”
The Italian manager also revealed that he is in constant communication with City's director of football Hugo Viana and CEO Ferran Soriano to discuss potential incomings and outgoings. “Hugo is here and also Ferran is here,” he added. “We just try to speak day by day to see if we need to do something. As I’ve said, for sure there are things that we need to do, but we are in communication every day.”
Pre-season defeat highlights need for improvement
City began their pre-season with a defeat, losing to Inter Milan on penalties in a scrappy encounter in Hong Kong. Maresca was encouraged by the performance but noted that “there are many things” that can be improved before the new campaign. He emphasized the importance of implementing new ideas and seeing them take shape in matches.
“It’s important since day one to try to install new ideas and new things,” he explained. “It’s important that day after day, but especially game after game, you can see during the game the things that you work on day by day. For instance, the first game against Inter Milan, for sure there are many things that we can do better. But the main thing is that I start to see things we start to work on since day one.”
Fan patience wearing thin
With the transfer window closing on September 1, City fans are eager for the club to act swiftly. The loss of key players and the lack of new signings have raised concerns about the squad's depth, especially with the Premier League title race expected to be highly competitive. Maresca's admission that “there are things that we need to do” will do little to ease the anxiety, but it does confirm that the club is actively working behind the scenes.
As the speculation around Pedro Neto intensifies, City's next moves will be closely watched. Whether they can secure the Chelsea winger or pivot to other targets remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Maresca and his staff are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to strengthen the squad.
