'Most important' - Football finance expert on how Man City can get most of £180m transfer spend back
Manchester City spent more than the rest of the Premier League combined in the January transfer window.
Having only brought in Savinho and Ilkay Gundogan in the summer, the Blues have watched in horror as the wheels have spectacularly come off their winning machine to leave them out of the Premier League title race and needing to beat Real Madrid over two legs to make the Champions League last-16.
Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez have all arrived over the last few weeks - as well as Juma Bah, who went straight out on loan to Lens - for £180m to try and get City back on track.
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City believe they are buying players for many years rather than just the rest of this season, but they will hope that at least most of the new additions can have an immediate impact to help them offset their spend. Sunday's mauling at Arsenal and Chelsea's win at West Ham on Monday leaves City in fifth and they are in a battle to qualify for next season's Champions League.
It is this that football finance expert Kieran Maguire thinks is the biggest priority for City, keeping them at the top table of European football that will allow them to share the spoils from an increasingly lucrative competition. If the Blues are able to go far in next season's competition, they would end up recouping most of the money they have paid out in the last transfer window.
"They didn't spend very much of their whole season budget in the summer window. Pep wanted to be loyal to the players who had helped him to achieve the Premier League last season and perhaps in hindsight he regretted that so they're trying to address that now," he told Sky Sports News.
"They've still got the second half of the season when they're in the Champions League and cup competitions, ad most important is qualification for next season's Champions League. As we've seen from this year, it is generating good crowds and good broadcast numbers.
"On the back of that, you're going to get a minimum of £50m for qualification and if you're in the latter stages perhaps closer to £150m qualification. That is what Manchester City are chasing."
