Man City homegrown stars can make or break £115m transfer statement

Manchester City could splash the cash on Ederson and Savinho replacements if the pair go, but Wolves may have given pause for thought

Ederson and Savinho weren't missed on Saturday

It has certainly felt like a summer of change at Manchester City, and more could be on the way. Last week brought a ramping up of interest in Ederson and Savinho to raise the possibility of more exits at the Etihad - and more new arrivals.

Pep Guardiola insists that the squad is too big already, but City would move for replacements for those two first team stars. The club have not denied interest in Paris Saint-Germain outcast Gianluigi Donnarumma while Real Madrid's Rodryo is out of favour at the Bernabeu and available for the right price.

Those two would set City back about £115m (albeit they'd recoup most of that fee with Ederson and Savinho sales) and would be a real statement from Hugo Viana. City have largely operated for the last decade by bringing in emerging talent rather than established superstars, but Donnarumma and Rodrygo would instantly add to the power and strength in the City side as well as showing their rivals that they can instantly upgrade on losing players.

The moves are reliant on Savinho and Ederson going however, and neither of those is certain. On top of that, the performance in the 4-0 win over Wolves may have given some pause for thought over what is actually needed at the Etihad.

Tijjani Reijnders was excellent on debut and Erling Haaland looked sharp to score twice, but three of the best players on the pitch were those who had been forged in the City Football Academy. Rico Lewis buzzed everywhere from right-back while James Trafford and Oscar Bobb starred in the very positions that would be earmarked for Rodrygo and Donnarumma.

That in itself felt odd in a summer where City appear to have moved away from their homegrown talent factory. James McAtee was allowed to leave and doubts remain over Lewis amid strong interest from Nottingham Forest even after his excellent performance at Molineux.

Guardiola rightly raved about Bobb, looking again like the player who appeared ready to tear up last season before his leg fracture a week before the first game. There was also praise for the assuredness of Trafford though, who got plenty of acclaim from his teammates.

The performances led from questions online as to whether City fans would be happy with Trafford and/or Bobb lining up against Real Madrid in a Champions League quarter or Liverpool in a title decider. It's a bit of a moot debate because they aren't the only players who can be used in that position, but it is an interesting one.

There is no proof that Trafford, Bobb, and to a lesser extent Lewis would be able to stand tall in those moments because they have not been tested in them. In contrast, there would be no doubting Rodrygo or Donnarumma.

Guardiola leaned on experience at the expense of youth in the middle of last season though, and then regretted it after it didn't work out. Spending more than £100m to limit the game time of young players already in your squad who may already be up to the challenge is a bigger gamble after that.

Two marquee signings would be a big transfer statement from City, but so would trusting in their homegrown players to play significant roles in the rebuild under Guardiola and Viana. Whatever happens with Savinho and Ederson, Bobb and Trafford have shown that they can be fresh competition at a high level.

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