If Manchester City don't win the Champions League this season, it will go down for the first time as a failure.
In the past, I've resisted saying that, but after the outstanding transfer business they have done this summer, they have to finally conquer Europe. I don't think it's been a failure in previous seasons when they've come up short in the Champions League, because it's a very difficult competition to win.
But City, with the signing of Erling Haaland, are overwhelming favourites to finally lift the iconic trophy and add to Pep Guardiola's two wins as coach with Barcelona. Haaland has taken just five games to show what we already knew – that he is the deadliest finisher in the game right now, with nine Premier League goals already and successive hat-tricks.
For City to have got Haaland for just £51million – albeit that was his buy-out clause – is just unbelievable business and he's proved the wisdom of that investment already. To have just 12 touches in the opposition box and nine goals is a remarkable stat and shows how clinical Haaland is when he gets in front of goal and senses a chance.
His incredible start shows how wrong people can be, writing off payers so early on. He missed a chance against Liverpool in the Community Shield and people were doubting whether he could do it in the Premier League. Haaland's signing has completely transformed the way City play and what they can do to other teams. He can stretch teams, which allows more space for the likes of Bernardo Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Phil Foden.
Julian Alvarez scored twice in the 6-0 win over Nottingham Forest and also looks a fantastic player, while Kalvin Phillips is proven in the league and Manuel Akanji, signed from Borussia Dortmund on deadline day, is an experienced defender. So I think City are the real winners from the transfer window, particularly when you consider they made £193m in sales too, giving them a net profit. Their local rivals, Manchester United, have also splashed the cash this summer, spending £227million in total.
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Over the last 10 years, United have had the biggest net spend of any club in the Premier League. The recruitment has been poor, with a succession of different managers not helping that. The signings they have made this summer look good, and I think the big difference is they have a really good partnership in central defence, in Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.
They have bolstered the midfield with Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, Antony gives them another option in attack, while Tyrell Malacia has already ousted Luke Shaw at left-back. If you're looking at United now, they have a settled back-four, options in midfield and pace in attack, so you would have to say they have also had a really good window, with great strength in depth in their squad now, which is what they needed after losing five players in the summer. It's remarkable, after losing their first two games, including a 4-0 hammering at Brentford, that United are now fifth in the table, above Liverpool, having beaten Jurgen Klopp's side.
Chelsea have also done well in the window, bringing in the likes of Raheem Sterling, Wesley Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who knows Thomas Tuchel from their time together at Borussia Dortmund. Nottingham Forest have raised the most eyebrows, by signing 21 players, the most in any single transfer window. People criticise such a turnover, but does that give them a better chance of staying up? Of course it does. There are those who say it's going to be hard to make 21 new players gel together, but at Macclesfield last season we had 52 players over the course of the season and won the league by 15 points! So it can be done.
Our players were only training twice a week, but Forest's squad will be in every day, so they'll have more time to work together and to forge team spirit and unity. Forest have got rid of a lot of players, but have brought in those with better quality, so that also gives them a better chance of survival, which is their sole aim.
