Jamie Carragher reveals the reason Man City may struggle to resolve their issues in the January transfer market after three straight defeats and a season-ending injury to Rodri

Liverpool icon Jamie Carragher has offered a possible reason that Manchester City may struggle to bring players in in January as the Citizens look to reassert themselves as Premier League title contenders. 

Man City naturally entered the campaign as the logical favourites to win a record-extending fifth consecutive Premier League crown in 2024-25 and further their claim to being England’s greatest ever side. 

They started the season as ominously as they have the last few, Erling Haaland continuing to tear through defences and Rodri playing the world’s greatest impression of a metronome to perfection. 

However, their progress has been thrown off kilter of late, with the Spanish midfielder – who just own the Ballon d’Or ruled out for the rest of the season after a knee ligament injury suffered in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal. 

Now City are running on the back of three straight defeats – Bournemouth in the Premier League, Tottenham in the Carabao Cup and Sport in the Champions League – and will surely be looking to replenish their squad in the January market. 

The Liverpool legend believes that the shadow of the club’s 115 charges of alleged financial rule breaches may make it hard to recruit players in January

Yet Carragher believes he has identified a key reason why players might not be so willing to sign on at the Etihad than you might expect. 

Manchester City are currently defending themselves in a case around 115 alleged breaches of the top-flight’s financial regulations.

Carragher, in his column for the Daily Telegraph, has pointed to this as a potential stumbling point when it comes to players considering signing for the club, and possibly helping Pep Guardiola’s side right the ship. 

‘Whether he or anyone else would join City in January is linked to their second problem. Any player approached by City between now and the end of the season will want to wait for the outcome of the case into the 115 charges.

‘Nobody knows if there will be significant sporting sanctions against the club. Until that has been resolved, a wise agent will tell his client to let the process take its course before putting pen to paper, especially if they have alternative options.

‘No matter the stature of the club or how solid its foundations, a shadow will hang over it until the independent commission reaches its decisions – and it might drag on for a while if a guilty verdict and punishment leads to a lengthy appeal process.’

With Rodri out for the rest of the season, there have been reports linking the club to a number of defensive midfield targets. 

One such option that has been linked to the club frequently is Martin Zubimendi of Real Sociedad. 

City suffered their third consecutive defeat against Sporting in the Champions League in midweek

They are currently without Ballon d’Or-winning midfielder Rodri after a knee injury ruled him out for the rest of the season

The deep-lying midfield player has been linked with moves to the Premier League – specifically Arsenal and Liverpool in recent windows. 

In fact, Zubimendi came close to joining the Anfield club last summer, only to pull out as he was not willing to leave his boyhood club, though a call from the four-in-a-row champions might carry a different level of attraction.  

Man City’s stars were torn apart in a 4-1 defeat by Sporting in Lisbon on Tuesday night, the latest in a string of poor results. 

Guardiola’s side had a night to forget as Viktor Gyokeres – who scored three – and Maximiliano Araujo found the back of the net to secure the hosts three points.