City’s new summer signings Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Iliman Ndiaye are already having a positive impact on the pitch.
Could this be the greatest summer transfer window of all time for City? Only time will tell. That’s right. The quality of any summer transfer class can only be judged by looking back in time.
Welcome back to our five-part series on the best transfer windows of the takeover era. In part 1, we examined the 2019 class. And in part 2, we analysed the 2017 window. Now let’s continue with the 2022 summer transfers.
Key signings: Erling Haaland, Manuel Akanji, Kalvin Phillips, Sergio Gomez
This was the summer that changed the face of the club forever. Everyone knew Haaland could be good. But few imagined the immediate impact he would have on Man City, let alone his rise to becoming a global icon who now rivals Ronaldo and Messi in popularity.
After coming over from Dortmund in the summer of 2022, Haaland scored 52 goals in 53 appearances in his first Premier League season, including a record 36 league goals. City captured the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League. He won the Premier League Golden Boot, PFA Player of the Year, Premier League Player of the Season and FWA Footballer of the Year.
Through the end of 2025-26, Haaland has scored 162 goals in 200 City appearances (including 112 Premier League goals) and won nine major trophies. He’s also won three Premier League Golden Boots in four seasons.
Akanji certainly is not so heralded, but his importance to City’s greatest teams should never be underestimated.
Also signed from Dortmund, the Swiss defender made 48 appearances in his first season and became a major part of the treble-winning team. He started the FA Cup final against Manchester United and played a crucial role in the buildup to Rodri’s winning goal in the Champions League final.
He subsequently made another 48 appearances in 2023-24 as City became the first English men’s team to win four consecutive league titles. By the time he went on loan to Inter in 2025, Akanji had made 136 appearances for City and won seven trophies.
No big City future for Phillips and Gomez…
On the other hand, Phillips cost City roughly £57m but never really worked out. A shoulder injury ruined his first season, while the extraordinary form and durability of Rodri left Phillips with limited opportunities. He was loaned to West Ham and Ipswich, and is currently on loan to Sheffield United.
Gomez, a product of Barcelona’s youth system, arrived from Anderlecht as a nearly 22-year-old who was a regular starter at left back for the Belgian club.
He never became a first-choice player in Manchester, but he performed an important squad role during a period when City were playing an extraordinary number of matches. He made 38 appearances over two seasons, including Champions League and FA Cup matches during the treble campaign. He left City in 2024 and signed for Real Sociedad in his native Spain.
