Man City completed their most important summer transfer task without signing anyone
It's been a summer of upheaval by Manchester City's standards.
Evolution is the name of the game at the Etihad Stadium as opposed to revolution, meaning squad rebuilds are very rarely on the agenda.
In a world where Chelsea's social media team are tasked with curating a video announcing a new signing every other day, it would be remiss to suggest City have endured a hectic summer on the transfer front. That being said, it can't be denied that the Blues have been slightly busier than most expected.
Pep Guardiola had hoped to keep hold of Ilkay Gundogan, though his exit was far from a surprise. Aymeric Laporte's departure felt very similar, with few eyelids batted following news the Spain international had completed his move to Al Nassr. Both players will be sorely missed, but the respective arrivals of Mateo Kovacic and Josko Gvardiol go some way to filling the voids they left.
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Riyad Mahrez's departure was a little more unexpected. The Algerian ace netted 15 goals in all competitions last season, his second-best tally since joining the Blues in 2018, though starting 16 Premier League games on the bench and failing to make an appearance in the Champions League final is probably not what he'd expected.
Mahrez's move to Al Ahli saw City's transfer team spring into action, with Belgium international Jeremy Doku arriving at the Etihad. The youngster's move was confirmed on Thursday, with Doku signing a five-year deal.
All in all, a relatively busy yet successful summer for the Blues. While it's understood City don't see Kovacic as a direct replacement for Gundogan, the summer round-ups will show City sold a centre-back, a central midfielder and a
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