?We Will Stay the Same?- Manchester City Manager Reflects on Losing Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United

Entering the 2021 transfer window, Manchester City were in a serious hunt for a world class striker. After prime target Harry Kane committed to Tottenham, City turned to Plan B, signing Cristiano Ronaldo.

Ronaldo who wanted his way out of Juventus had reportedly been offered to top clubs by super-agent Jorge Mendes. But considering the astronomical wages the Portuguese commands, only a handful were truly interested.

With Kane’s move crashing, the Cityzens were confident of signing Ronaldo. But out of nowhere, cross-town rivals Manchester United stepped in. The ‘Red Devils’ in a few hours had taken over the deal and within no time, ‘the King’ was back.

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Pep Guardiola confident on squad despite failed Cristiano Ronaldo transfer

With United hijacking City’s move for the Portuguese, Guardiola and Co. now have big hole in their attacking line. In a recent press conference manager Pep Guardiola said that he was content with his squad this season despite missing a striker.

“In my personal view there are few players, Cristiano Ronaldo is included and [Lionel] Messi of course, they decide where they are going to play.”

“They have the leading role in the negotiations and everything is the desire where they want to play. The position right now this is my feeling that I am more delighted with the squad I have and we will stay the same.”

The Spaniard is certainly confident of excelling with his existing squad. While City did excel in a system without a striker last season, in crucial games, the dire need of finishing was visible.

Some teams now have counters to the existing false nine setup as well. Given the lack of a physical number 9, the Cityzens are mediocre in set pieces. Given their need, Cristiano Ronaldo could have been the perfect fit for the side.

With his lethal finishing, the Portuguese would have been their go-to goalscorer. But with Manchester United swooping in, City will miss out on the same and will have to rely on the likes of Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus who are extremely streaky.

Manchester City have done some excellent business in the past few seasons. But not pulling the trigger on a Ronaldo move, might turn out to be a poor decision. Will City regret on missing out on CR7?