Manchester City manager Enzo Maresca has downplayed the significance of the record-breaking transfer fees his club paid during the summer window, insisting he pays little attention to the financial details behind his squad rebuild.
City broke new ground this summer by matching the British transfer record with a £125million deal for Enzo Fernandez, having already spent £116million to sign Elliot Anderson. Combined with the £301million invested in new midfielders, including Moroccan international Ayyoub Bouaddi, City's overall outlay for new arrivals topped £400million in what was Maresca's first transfer window at the helm.
Despite those staggering numbers, Maresca made clear that price tags do not factor into how he evaluates his new signings. "I don't pay much attention to the price because I don't pay the money. It's more about good players," he said.
The comments come ahead of City's clash with Manchester United, who also strengthened their midfield options over the summer, spending an initial £148million on three new midfielders — a considerably lower figure than City's outlay. Asked to compare the two clubs' business, Maresca refused to draw distinctions based on cost, instead praising the overall quality of the players involved on both sides.
"The ones who arrived here and joined United are all top players. That's the most important thing," Maresca said. "How much the club paid for them? I don't think it's correct to judge players on how much we pay because the market is crazy."
Maresca's remarks reflect a broader view that the modern transfer market has become increasingly unpredictable, with fees no longer serving as a reliable indicator of value or ability. For him, the priority remains identifying players capable of fitting into City's system and maintaining the club's high standards.
The Italian coach also took time to highlight how impressed he has been with City's ability to replace outgoing stars with equally influential figures, pointing to Fernandez, Anderson and Bouaddi as the latest examples of a pattern that has defined the club's recent history.
"I feel very lucky because these three players arrived, the three midfielders, Enzo, Eliot and Ayyoub," Maresca said. "I also said that this club, when Aguero left, everyone was worried, Erling arrived, Fernandinho left, Rodri arrived, David Silva left, De Bruyne arrived."
He continued: "So one of the big achievements of this club has been to replace players and it's not easy. Before, the club was Txiki when he was here, now the club with Hugo. So for sure I feel very lucky because it's not easy to replace these kind of players, they are top players."
Maresca's comments underline the scale of the rebuilding job undertaken at City following the departures of Rodri and Bernardo Silva, two players who had been central to the club's recent dominance. The arrivals of Fernandez, Anderson and Bouaddi are seen as crucial in ensuring continuity in midfield, an area of the pitch where City have historically excelled.
As City prepare to face United, the focus for Maresca remains firmly on performances rather than price tags, with the manager keen to stress that success on the pitch, not the size of transfer fees, will ultimately define his side's season.
Based on reporting from The Independent.