By Martin Graham
Manchester City are set to add another name to Pep Guardiola’s long list of defensive recruits after agreeing to a £20m move for Crystal Palace and England centre-half Marc Guehi. Once completed, the 25-year-old will become the 25th defender brought in since Guardiola took charge in July 2016.
Figures from Transfermarkt show that City’s overall transfer outlay during Guardiola’s reign will reach £1.93bn, with more than £700m of that total directed towards defensive players. No other member of the traditional “top six” has signed as many defenders in the same period.
By comparison, Liverpool have finalised 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. Across nine and a half seasons, City have secured six Premier League titles, lifted the Champions League once, claimed two FA Cups, won four EFL Cups, and added the Club World Cup to their honours list.
Big fees, trophies and mixed outcomes
Among the most expensive defensive additions is Josko Gvardiol, who arrived for £77m following City’s treble-winning campaign. Capable of operating centrally or on the left, the Croatian quickly became a regular, missing just one league match last season. His contribution has included 11 league goals and four trophies, although a broken shinbone in January has ruled him out for an extended period.
Ruben Dias was signed from Benfica in 2020 for £65m and immediately transformed City’s back line. In his first season, City conceded only 32 league goals, 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 Stones, purchased from Everton in 2016 for £47.5m, has been part of Guardiola’s plans from the start. Despite ongoing fitness problems in recent campaigns, he played a central role in the European triumph and remains City’s longest-serving player, with his contract nearing its end.
Full-back Kyle Walker joined from Tottenham for £45m and went on to become a constant presence on the right side of defence. Twice selected in the Premier League Team of the Year, Walker eventually departed last summer, joining Burnley after a loan at AC Milan, with City reshaping their options in that position.
Depth, sales and recent challenges
Nathan Ake, signed for £40m from Bournemouth, has provided cover across the defensive line, contributing to 10 trophy wins despite repeated injury setbacks. His strongest spell came during the Champions League-winning season, when he started in the final, though this campaign has been disrupted by foot surgery.
Aymeric Laporte arrived from Athletic Club in a £57m move in January 2018 and became a key figure during a highly successful period, winning five league titles before being sold to Al-Nassr for £23.6m following Gvardiol’s arrival.
Joao Cancelo was brought in for £60m and eventually flourished after a slow introduction, enjoying his most productive spell in his third season. A later disagreement with Guardiola led to loan moves to Bayern Munich and Barcelona before a permanent switch to Al Hilal.
Beyond the headline names, City have recruited a wide range of defenders across every position, including right-backs such as Matheus Nunes, Danilo, Pedro Porro, and Yan Couto, centre-backs like Manuel Akanji, Abdukodir Khusanov, and Pablo Mari, and left-sided options including Benjamin Mendy, Sergio Gomez, and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Several never featured for the first team, though sales of players like Porro, Couto, and Mari generated profits.
The planned arrival of Guehi follows a run of injuries to Ruben Dias, John Stones, and Gvardiol, leaving Guardiola short of central defenders during a demanding run of domestic and European fixtures. Once again, City’s response has been to return to the market, underlining how central defensive investment has been to Guardiola’s project.
