City seem to have struck the mother lode this past summer. New summer signings Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Iliman Ndiaye are already showing up in highlight videos.
But let’s not become overly excited quite yet. Only by looking back in time can we truly judge the quality of any summer transfer window.
We have returned with our five-part series on the top transfer windows of the takeover era. In part 1, we examined the 2019 class. And in part 2, we analysed the 2017 window. Part 3 featured the 2022 class.
Now let’s proceed with the 2015 summer transfers.
Key signings: Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Nicolas Otamendi, Fabian Delph
With all due respect to Colin Bell, the summer of 2015 saw the arrival of arguably the best player to even put on the shirt.
De Bruyne landed in Manchester after winning Bundesliga Player of the Year with Wolfsburg. He made an immediate impact wearing sky blue, scoring 16 goals in 41 appearances during his first season and helping City win the League Cup. But his career changed dramatically when Pep Guardiola arrived the following summer.
Under Guardiola, De Bruyne evolved into the creative centrepiece of City’s attack. His combination of vision, passing range, movement and ability to score from distance made him one of the defining midfielders of his generation.
By the time he left City in 2025, De Bruyne had made 422 appearances, scored 108 goals and provided 170 assists, while winning 19 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League. His 118 Premier League assists were the most in City history, while his 846 Premier League chances created set a new record.
Sterling, too, was vital to City’s evolution, particularly in the early Guardiola years.
At only 20, he arrived from Liverpool as one of the most exciting young attackers in England. His first two seasons were productive without being spectacular, but Guardiola’s arrival unlocked another level.
In the extraordinary 2017/18 season, Sterling scored 23 goals and supplied 17 assists in 46 appearances. He was no longer simply a dangerous winger; he had become a prolific scorer capable of consistently attacking the space behind defences.
He followed that with 25 goals in 2018/19 as City won the domestic treble, and departed City on a free transfer in 2025 to join Napoli. There he has scored six goals in 22 appearances.
Sterling ultimately made 339 appearances for City, scoring 131 goals, and won four Premier League titles, five League Cups and an FA Cup. He went on to play for Chelsea and Arsenal. He’s currently at Feyenoord.
Otamendi was a more traditional signing: an established, physically imposing centre back brought in to strengthen a defence that needed greater quality and aggression.
The Argentine arrived after an outstanding season at Valencia, where he was named to the La Liga Team of the Season. He had also been one of his nation’s best performers at the 2015 Copa America, earning a place in the Team of the Tournament.
He became a regular at City almost immediately and eventually established himself alongside Vincent Kompany and, later, John Stones and Aymeric Laporte. City credits him with 210 appearances during his five years at the club. He won two Premier League titles, four League Cups, the FA Cup and two Community Shields.
In the 2017/18 Centurions campaign, he was one of five City players selected to the PFA Team of the Year as the side accumulated a record 100 points.
Today, at age 38, Otamendi plays centre-back and captains River Plate.
Delph is the outlier, but his contribution is worth remembering. He arrived from Aston Villa as a 25-year-old England international and Villa captain. Injuries restricted his first two seasons at City, and he was never a regular starter in midfield.
Then came 2017/18, the 100-point season. With Benjamin Mendy injured, Guardiola converted Delph into a left back. He made 29 appearances, bringing energy, aggression and the ability to move into midfield when City had possession.
City won the Premier League with 100 points, and Delph’s performances earned him a place in England’s 2018 World Cup squad. He remained a valuable squad player in 2018/19 as City retained the Premier League title and completed the domestic clean sweep.
Delph left in 2019 after 89 appearances and seven major trophies.
