The Premier League club’s manager is not planning on adding to his squad despite a lack of centre-forward options
Pep Guardiola has insisted that Manchester City will not sign any new players in the January transfer window.
City have bounced back from a slow start to the season to re-emerge as contenders for the Premier League title which was wrestled away from them by Liverpool in 2019-20.
The Blues have won five successive games, including an impressive 4-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the weekend, and are now sitting just two points behind current leaders Manchester United with a game in hand.
Guardiola’s men are also through to the Champions League knockout stages, Carabao Cup final and fourth round of the FA Cup, with an unprecedented quadruple still a possibility heading into the second half of the campaign.
City currently boast the best defensive record in the top flight having only conceded 13 goals in 17 games, with summer arrival Ruben Dias slotting into the starting XI perfectly after his big-money move from Benfica.
The likes of John Stones and Joao Cancelo have also been impressive at the back, but City haven’t always been at their fluid best at the other end of the pitch.
Sergio Aguero’s struggles for fitness have continued in recent months, leaving Guardiola with only Gabriel Jesus and 17-year-old Liam Delap to call upon in a natural centre-forward role.
The Catalan has often chosen to use Kevin de Bruyne or Raheem Sterling as “false nines” instead of playing with an orthodox striker, with mixed results, and it has been suggested that a lack of firepower could end up costing his side at the business end of the season.
Guardiola is not planning on adding to his ranks this month, though, as he told beIN Sports ahead of a midweek meeting with Aston Villa: “We will not sign any deal during the winter transfer market.
“We did not discuss this, but we will end the season with the players that we have now.”
After City’s latest Premier League outing, they will turn their attention to a fourth-round FA Cup tie with Cheltenham on January 23, which comes three days before they are due to take in a trip to The Hawthorns to face West Brom.
