Grading Manchester City on Their 2016 Summer Transfer Window Business

The concept of value in the transfer market has been distorted wildly this summer, particularly for Premier League teams.

The already super-rich English game has been imbued with further wealth. The Premier League's new £5.1 billion TV deal has come into effect, leaving the likes of newly promoted Burnley in a position to compete financially with almost any team in Europe.

It's not inconceivable that the next time football-finance expert Deloitte releases its list of Europe's 30 richest teams, the Football Money League, all 20 Premier League clubs will feature.

It's difficult for the majority of people to comprehend the vast sums of money changing hands—but one thing that became abundantly clear during the transfer window is we all need to recalibrate what we see as a reasonable amount of money for a particular player.

"

The previous summer transfer window record = £870m

2016 = £1bn + already...https://t.co/x4C1L9iYRe pic.twitter.com/ERjWez25AG

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 31, 2016"

In total, Premier League clubs spent £1.165 billion in what was a record-breaking window. Thirteen clubs broke their transfer record. Even in the Championship, multiple players were signed for more than £10 million. The English game, it's fair to say, is more money-driven than ever before.

Manchester City contributed significantly to Premier League clubs breaking the £1 billion mark for the first time, spending in excess of £150 million on upgrading their squad. New manager Pep Guardiola is likely to have expressed the need for change to the City board given he took over a failing and somewhat ageing group of players.

Ins

The Guardiola effect was in full flow this summer. There's been a feeling City haven't aimed high enough in the transfer market since the Garry Cook-Brian Marwood partnership was broken up in 2011. Txiki Begiristain's reign as director of football has seen City's transfer policy become hit-and-miss, but this summer has seen a vast improvement.

First, Begiristain was instrumental in bringing Guardiola to the club in the first place. This, perhaps more than anything else he has done since arriving at City in 2012, has secured his position. There were doubts about the way he had been performing, but landing the best manager in the game was a hugely significant moment in the club's history, and that isn't lost on the supporters.

And with Guardiola has come heightened ambition. Begiristain has landed a series of top-quality players this summer. City's two-tiered transfer policy—which sees them chase senior stars and top young talent from across the world—has kept him busy, and negotiations were testing at times. But few could deny the squad looks significantly better after the sporting director's latest trolley dash.

John Stones, 22, represents City's biggest outlay at £47.5 million. This isn't just a player Guardiola wanted; he's a project for the Catalan manager. The former Everton man's ball-playing style may have put some managers off—for the City boss, it's likely the reason he wanted him.

OLI SCARFF/Getty Images

Guardiola is obsessive about what he calls "buildup." He wants his teams to pass the ball from the back, and to do that, he needs defenders and a goalkeeper who are capable in possession. In Stones, he has one of the best.

The youngster will take risks. He's almost like a midfielder in the way he approaches the game. He's got a manager who won't simply indulge his tendency to play his way from the back—but one who will wholly encourage and develop it.

Behind him will be new No. 1 Claudio Bravo, signed from Barcelona after two sterling seasons with the Primera Division giants. The Chile international, like Stones, wants the ball. He isn't a 'keeper as we here in England know it but an auxiliary outfield player who will be expected to join in with the team's passing in the defensive third.

Such is the strength of Guardiola's belief that his way of playing football is the right one, he will not bend for anyone. And the City directors were instructed to find him a goalkeeper who fits the bill.

But it's Guardiola's first signing that may well prove to be his best. Ilkay Gundogan, like Thiago Alcantara before him, was seen as a vital addition to the City manager's new squad.

When Guardiola took over at Bayern Munich, his first move was to sign Thiago from Barcelona. He needed his work rate and passing quality, that desire to keep the ball and play neat one-twos with his fellow midfielders.

Signing Gundogan, at £21 million, was a no-brainer. He fits Guardiola's style and was available at a respectable price. He will bring the intensity to City's midfield that the Spaniard craves. 

Throw in Nolito, who cost £13.8 million and has started superbly, and Leroy Sane, one of the finest young attacking talents in Europe, and City's squad suddenly looks younger, more energetic and, crucially, ready to win serious silverware.

Nolito, at 29, is hardly a long-term option, but he knows how to play Guardiola's high-intensity style and has a knack of notching goals and assists.

Sane, 20, could be world-class with time. Searing pace, a precociousness and fearlessness that sees him go at defenders—he's a thrilling watch with the tools to excel under Guardiola's tutelage.

JON SUPER/Getty Images

Then there are the development players, youngsters signed with one eye on the future whose immediate progress is continued elsewhere. Oleksandr Zinchenko, 19, looked superb for Ukraine at the European Championship this summer. He cost just £1.7 million and has joined PSV Eindhoven for the coming season. A No. 10 with a superb touch and vision, he looks a real prospect.

Colombian winger Marlos Moreno cost £4.68 million and has joined Deportivo La Coruna after impressing at Atletico Nacional and is already an established international. He, too, is expected to return to City at some stage and push for a starting berth.

But perhaps the most exciting deal saw City land Gabriel Jesus, a 19-year-old Brazilian with the world at his feet. Every club in Europe would have taken Jesus, such is his vast talent. The fact City fought their way to the front of the queue and landed him is testament to their growing appeal with Guardiola as manager.

If you'd asked a City official back in early June whether they would land Jesus, you would've been met with a coy reaction. They wanted him and recognised his ability, but they knew they faced the stiffest competition imaginable. Landing him is likely to have been met with adulation in the boardroom.

"

It was a transfer window to remember!

Relive our big announcements! 👉https://t.co/02HoK5sRGg #mcfc pic.twitter.com/4gXg7tazt0

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 1, 2016"

Grade for incomings: Some incredibly exciting signings and some who look superb value for money: A-

Outs

Offloading players proved somewhat more difficult, but after a flash sale on deadline day—five senior stars moved out on loan—City trimmed their squad to a manageable size.

Perhaps only Yaya Toure remains who isn't assured of involvement in Guardiola's first season in charge. The Ivorian, 33, has played just once in the five games the City manager has overseen this far, failing to make the squad on four occasions.

Yet his sizeable wages—£220,000 per week, per Anthony Hay of MailOnline—and the fact he only has a year left on his deal meant he was difficult to shift. Few clubs can afford him, and the temptation from Toure's perspective would be to sit tight and wait for a free transfer next summer, ensuring a payout from City and a significant signing-on fee wherever he goes next.

Goalkeeper Joe Hart needed a move after it became clear he wasn't part of Guardiola's immediate plans, and they managed to get him out of the Premier League and away from their rivals.

Jason Denayer has gone to Sunderland for the season in one last attempt to prove he has what it takes to make the first-team picture at City. If he doesn't, he surely has to think about finding himself a permanent switch.

"

It's official.

Joe Hart is a Torino player for the rest of the season #DeadlineDay https://t.co/PcVypXjLkQ pic.twitter.com/TOpqXkujIT

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 31, 2016"

"

Best of luck, Joe #WednesdayWisdom #mcfc pic.twitter.com/X1gSFbViqm

— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 31, 2016"

Eliaquim Mangala joined Valencia on loan, and he will be desperate to prove his worth there. Guardiola clearly had no plans for him—he wasn't even named in the squad for the Champions League play-off match with Steaua Bucharest—and he needs to find a permanent home next summer. He must go down as an expensive failure despite his obvious physical capabilities.

Wilfried Bony joined Stoke City, who had to pay a £2 million loan fee to take him for the season. It simply didn't work out for the Ivorian at the Etihad Stadium, with his style incompatible with City's pass-and-move approach. Samir Nasri also left, joining Sevilla for the rest of the campaign.

Martin Demichelis, 35, exited on a free transfer after his contract expired, and Edin Dzeko's permanent move to AS Roma was confirmed for just over £9 million.

All in all, City's outgoings were less impressive given they had to wait until the last minute and struggled to find permanent moves and decent fees for their departing players.

Grade for outgoings: Got there in the end, but there were too many loan deals and not enough permanent exits. C-

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.