Doku Stays, Nico Wants In and a Squad Taking Shape Under Maresca

Man City are getting their house in order this summer, even if the window has been quieter than most fans expected. Jeremy Doku signing a new deal until 2031 is a big statement of intent, and the noises coming from Nico Gonzalez suggest the club aren't as keen to offload players as the rumours implied.

Doku Locking In Is a Bigger Deal Than It Looks

Doku cost £55.4m when he arrived from Rennes two years ago and there were plenty of people who questioned whether he was the real article. He answered that pretty convincingly last season. Forty-eight appearances, eight goals, FA Cup and Carabao Cup winners medal. For a winger who can be inconsistent, that's a solid return.

Committing until 2031 at the age of 24 tells you everything. Man City see Doku as a cornerstone of what they're building under Enzo Maresca, not just a squad option. The previous regime under Guardiola used Doku heavily in the final stretch, and Maresca will likely do the same. From a betting perspective, Doku is well worth keeping on your radar for first scorer markets this season. He's quick, he gets into the box and he scores goals that look like assists waiting to happen.

The Nico Gonzalez Question

This one is a bit more complicated. Gonzalez joined for £50m from Porto in January 2024 and spent much of last season on the fringes. Forty-one appearances sounds like a lot, but a good chunk of those were cameos and cup games. The FA Cup semi-final winner against Southampton was a reminder of what he can do when given a chance to breathe.

His public comments are pretty clear. He's happy, he wants to stay and he believes the club want him too. Whether that turns into regular football under Maresca is another question entirely. With Elliot Anderson arriving for a club-record £116m as the obvious midfield upgrade, Gonzalez will need to fight for his place.

For those of us who like a deeper value play, Gonzalez at big prices for anytime scorer in cup competitions could be worth a look across the season. He tends to deliver in knockout football and Maresca will rotate heavily.

A Quiet Window, But City Aren't Panicking

It's early August and Man City's only significant signing is Anderson. That's a fact. Maresca has admitted they need to do more business, and the director of football and chief executive have been in South Korea during pre-season, which suggests talks are happening behind the scenes.

The club are apparently relaxed, pointing to the early signings of Marc Guehi and Antoine Semenyo in January as evidence that their planning happens on a longer timeline. Vitor Reis is back from his loan at Girona and expected to be part of the first-team picture, so it's not as if the squad is bare.

The bigger concern is on the outgoings side. Rodri is yet to sign a new deal and both Real Madrid and Barcelona are sniffing around. Tijjani Reijnders looks likely to leave. Savinho could follow if Tottenham come back in. If two or three of those exits happen, the squad suddenly looks a lot thinner and the need for incomings becomes urgent rather than optional.

Interest in Pedro Neto, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Geronimo Rulli suggests the club have targets ready to activate if the money comes in from sales.

Our Read on Man City This Season

Man City are still one of the title favourites and rightly so. The core of the squad is young, they've got a manager who knows how to build cohesive teams and the domestic cups are already proven territory for this group.

From a betting angle, Man City to win the Premier League title looks fair value if you can get them at anything above 3/1 with the window still open. The squad depth is the only genuine worry, and that depends heavily on whether the key players leave.

For individual markets, Doku to score 10 or more league goals in a full season feels genuinely achievable at a price. And if Nico Gonzalez stays and gets more consistent minutes under Maresca, he could be one of the more interesting anytime scorer outsiders in cup football throughout the campaign.

The quiet window might actually be the calm before a busy final few weeks. Man City usually get their business done, and right now the signs point to a squad that's closer to ready than people think.