After a tumultuous 2024–25 season, Phil Foden has admitted Manchester City “needed” to bring in new players this summer to build a team capable of winning major titles.
City went from lifting four consecutive Premier League titles to finishing 13 points behind champions Liverpool in 2024–25. Pep Guardiola’s side suffered more league defeats last season than in their two previous Premier League campaigns combined, prompting the club to begin a rebuild.
Guardiola sanctioned the signing of six new players in the summer transfer window, including Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Rayan Cherki and James Trafford, spending £153.4 million ($204 million).
Foden, who played alongside some of the new faces at this summer’s FIFA Club World Cup, has backed City’s recent overhaul.
“It always gets to a time when any club needs to add new players and freshen things up, and we have done that,” Foden said to the media at Man City’s open training session.
“That can only be good for us as the players we have brought in are very high level and fit right into the team,” he continued. “They give us something we need a little bit more of so we are here to help and we have got a very good squad now. I think everyone wants to make up for last season.”
Abdukodir Khusanov, Omar Marmoush, Nico González, Vitor Reis, Christian McFarlane and Juma Bah also made the move to Manchester during the winter transfer window, bringing the cost of City’s total squad rebuild near £300 million ($348.8 million).
Still, the Cityzens disappointed in the United States this summer, crashing out of the newly expanded Club World Cup in the round of 16 at the hands of Al Hilal. Without club legends Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker to lead Man City back to winning ways, players like Foden now have the added pressure of elevating their game.
“I am not here to replicate what Kev did because we all know how good he was and what he did for the club. It is about trying my best, getting to the level where I won Player of the Year. I want to get back to that.”
Much like many players in blue, Foden had an underwhelming 2024–25 campaign. The England international only scored 13 goals in 49 appearances across all competitions, his lowest haul since the 2019–20 season.
Three of those goals, though, came at the Club World Cup, a promising sign for the 25-year-old ahead of the upcoming season.
It will be up to Guardiola to get the best out of his returning and new players if City want to get back to hoisting silverware.
“It’s the same every season, but at the same time, we have to continue what we’ve been building for ten years,” Guardiola said. “Of course, we want to do better than last season, especially in terms of consistency.
“The mindset is positive, so I’m sure it will be fine. I would say that this club has grown enormously over the last 15-20 years. Today, it is at the top in every competition. It’s up to us to continue.”
City kick off their path to redemption against Wolves on Saturday, Aug. 16.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘We Have Done That’—Phil Foden Admits Man City Had to Make Key Change.