Doku C, Nunes E: Grading every Man City signing this season

Tom Weber

• Updated: 24 Apr 2024 16:37 BST
• 5 min read

After winning a historic treble in 2022/23, Manchester City spent big to reinforce their already seemingly unbeatable team.

Pep Guardiola's Cityzens splashed €241 million on four new recruits in the summer of 2023. In January, Argentine wonderkid Claudio Echeverri was also snapped up for €18.5 million, though the teenager remained on loan at River Plate.

Despite spending lavishly on new players such as Jeremy Doku and Josko Gvardiol, the arrivals have actually been somewhat underwhelming. All four of them have their obvious strengths - hence why they were signed - but they have perhaps not quite had the impact one would have expected prior to the start of the season.

Let's grade Man City's 2023/24 signings...

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Josko Gvardiol (€90m from RB Leipzig): C

With Aymeric Laporte on his way to Saudi Arabia, City decided that they needed to add another big-name centre-back, so who better to sign than one of Europe's most highly-rated young defenders. The Manchester giants snapped up Josko Gvardiol for a record €90m from RB Leipzig, making him the most expensive defender in the history of football.

There is no denying that Gvardiol is an exceptionally talented centre-back and he has been solid for Man City. But that is really it. He has been solid, but not to the point where you could credibly ask whether he is the best defender in the Premier League. Yet, when you pay that kind of money, that should be what you expect to get.

In hindsight, City actually got a good deal despite splashing €90m on him. Sky Germany recently revealed that the Croatia international would have had a €110m release clause in the summer of 2024, but even when taking this into account and the fact that the 22-year-old still has plenty of upside, we can only give him a C.

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Matheus Nunes (€62m from Wolves): E

It is fair to say that Matheus Nunes was City's worst signing of the season and he will probably also go down as one of the worst in the entire Premier League in 2023/24. Guardiola and company shelled out €62m to sign the Wolves midfielder late in the summer window to replace Ilkay Gundogan, but the Brazil-born Portugal international's impact has been negligible.

Though he has racked up a few assists in his limited minutes, City essentially paid €62m on a luxury substitute. Nunes rarely ever starts under Guardiola and football fans who don't watch every Man City match would be forgiven if they had forgotten that he is even on their books. For that kind of money, you expect to get a bit more bang for your buck. Nunes gets an E.

Jeremy Doku (€60m from Stade Rennais): C

Unquestionably City's most exciting signing of the season, Belgian wonderkid Jeremy Doku was signed for €60m from Stade Rennais in the summer. On his day, the young winger is absolutely unplayable and will terrorise any defence in the world. The problem is that he does not yet manage to consistently show this.

Though a regular fixture, Doku's Premier League goals can be counted on one hand. The 21-year-old went a whopping 13 games without a single goal contribution in the league between November 2023 and March 2024 and that is simply not good enough for an attacker who cost €60m. Doku is a brilliant player, but he is yet to consistently perform better than a C.

Mateo Kovacic (€29m from Chelsea): C

Finally, there is Mateo Kovacic, whose departure from Chelsea came as a surprise. With the Blues in need of raising funds after a season of record-breaking spending, City pounced and snapped up Gvardiol's compatriot for €29m. Similarly to the defender, Kovacic has been solid but unspectacular.

Not always a guaranteed starter, it is fair to say that the veteran midfielder's time so far at the Etihad can be described as 'meh.' Guardiola is sure to be a fan as Kovacic keeps things ticking over nicely in the midfield and is not afraid to do the dirty work, but the ex-Real Madrid man probably does not start enough in the Premier League to warrant anything higher than a C.