Can fresh blood bring the swagger back to Manchester City?
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After calamity in Paris Pep Guardiola has reached for the cheque book, but there are no guarantees it will work. Manchester City have called for the cavalry and, based on the evidence of Wednesday night at Paris Saint-Germain and numerous other performances over the past few months, it cannot arrive quickly enough. Something is missing within the serial Premier League champions and it was revealing to hear Jack Grealish reach for a word that has routinely been associated with them; with the winger and his own game, too. Swagger.
![[David Hytner]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2018/01/10/David_Hytner,_L.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
At times like these, with City’s title defence in flames and their Champions League hopes heading to the wire and a must-win home tie against Club Brugge on Wednesday, it is inevitable that confidence will be affected. What Grealish and everyone connected to the club hope is that a concentrated and explosive spending burst can provide a psychological lift, as much as anything else.
![[Omar Marmoush]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/ab7811bbfadd0f5737e6dde5a5f591f85e2095f1/60_0_1800_1080/master/1800.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
“It’s down to us to get that confidence and swagger back,” Grealish said after the 4-2 defeat against PSG, when City threw away a 2-0 lead; yet another lead. It was the ninth time this season they had led and not won, the third time in four Champions League games. “We have new signings coming in and hopefully we can get our confidence back,” Grealish said.
Pep Guardiola has admitted it was probably a mistake not to have strengthened more last summer, particularly after the sale of Julián Álvarez. Only Ilkay Gündogan and Savinho were added. Hence the reactive £122.5m spend this week, starting on Monday with the arrival of Abdukodir Khusanov for £33.8 from Lens, running through Tuesday’s signing of Vitor Reis for £29.6m from Palmeiras and peaking with Thursday’s confirmation of Omar Marmoush for £59.1m from Eintracht Frankfurt.
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