Manchester City were far from their vintage best on Saturday lunchtime as they scrapped to a 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Raheem Sterling's second-half penalty was eventually the difference between the sides, as City bossed proceedings after the interval following the red card to Raul Jimenez.
While the win was enough to put Pep Guardiola's side at the top of the pile in the Premier League, plenty would have watched on and wondered how many the champions would have netted if they had an elite centre-forward on the field.
As a result, it'll be no shock to see transfer rumours intensify going into the January window.
Here Mirror Football has rounded up your latest Man City gossip.
Will City's lack of a centre-forward cost them in the title race? Let us know in the comments below!
Ederson talks striker 'advantage'
City goalkeeper Ederson believes that not playing with a natural centre-forward can be an "advantage" for the team.
The Premier League holders pursued Harry Kane in the summer after the departure of Sergio Aguero, although a deal eventually couldn't be finalised.
It means for many games this season that Pep Guardiola has lined up with no recognised striker and speaking to ESPN Brasil (h/t Sport Witness ), Ederson said this style of play can give City an edge.
"Of course there was a lot of speculation and a lot of hope on the part of the fans that a strong name could come, but the team remained calm the entire time," he said.
"It can also be an advantage, the pressure is divided for everyone on equal terms.
"Of course if there were some big names here now, properly those that you mentioned, the pressure on him would be much greater than for the rest of the group. So I think that’s an important factor for us too."
Guardiola on Sterling
Raheem Sterling continued his excellent goalscoring form on Saturday, as his penalty was the only goal of the game against Wolverhampton Wanderers.
After finding himself on the fringes of the side at the start of the season, Sterling has rediscovered his best as of late. After speculation about a possible exit throughout the campaign, the England international's recent form will surely trigger fresh questions about his position.
Guardiola was quizzed on Sterling after the Wolves win and hailed the impact he has had at City.
"Big congratulations," said the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss. "He is still a young player and 100 goals is a lot of goals. His contribution to this club is massive. He is back scoring goals, has confidence. It’s good."
Doyle to stay at Hamburg
Hamburg coach Tim Walter has told MOPO (h/t Sport Witness ) the club has no plans to cut short Tommy Doyle's loan.
Doyle went on loan to the German outfit in an attempt to earn first-team experience, but he's only made seven appearances for Hamburg totalling 150 minutes.
Despite his lack of action, Walter revealed he's under the impression that the 20-year-old will be with the club for the remainder of the campaign.
"I haven’t heard that yet, and I haven’t got that impression yet," he said. "He is one of our players. As long as he’s here, we’ll try to improve everyone and treat him accordingly."
