Manchester City have dominated the Premier League over the past 14 years. Even before Pep Guardiola’s historic appointment, the club had risen to the fore, winning the 2011/12 and 2013/14 titles.
But the 54-year-old has taken a good thing and made it immortal. Man City’s dynasty is among the greatest in modern European history.
Now, he’s tasked with fashioning the next phase in the project, with the Citizens having struggled through 2024/25 and ending up empty-handed on the trophy front, save for the Community Shield on the opening day of the year.
A transitional period this may be, but Manchester City are masters of the market. Many clubs have financial strength, but not the wherewithal and expertise to make their ambition count.
So often, City hit the jackpot, and they certainly did with David Silva. If Guardiola’s final chapter is to be an illustrious one, he will hope to craft a new version of the iconic Spaniard.
David Silva's Man City record
15 years ago, in 2010, Manchester City signed Silva from Valencia for a £24m fee. It was second time lucky for England’s new superpower after missing out on the nifty playmaker in 2008.
Despite an impressive start to life in his homeland, Silva arrived in England, regularly benched across the opening weeks of his first season, before finding his feet across the second half of the year.
Humble beginnings led to illustrious success, the kind which few players ever come close to scraping. Silva won so many trophies, but his intelligence, style and silkiness on the ball were among the best the Premier League has seen.
Guardiola, certainly, has overseen few better, calling his countryman “one of the best ever” back in 2019.
He played 436 matches. He scored 77 goals. He supplied 136 assists. Silva won the full gamut in England, and though he had departed before City finally struck gold in the Champions League, their triumph was pillared by the Spaniard’s tireless work across many seasons in Manchester.
With 97 assists in the Premier League, Silva is seventh in the all-time standings. And with Kevin De Bruyne having vacated his throne this summer, it was imperative that a new playmaking force was signed.
So often, Man City strike gold in the transfer market. Might they have done so with their new version of Silva?
Man City's new David Silva
Silva’s dynamism and expertise on the ball helped shift City toward their ball-playing style of play. A glittering career in England was lifted upon Guardiola’s appointment; they were, in many ways, a match made in heaven.
Now, Pep may have landed his next version in Rayan Cherki, who plays in a more advanced and often wider berth than the 2010 World Cup champion is remembered by, but Silva operated across many positions, especially during the earlier phase of his career.
Signed from Lyon in an initial £30.5m deal this summer, French creator Cherki found fame in his homeland, considered among the most exciting talents in the country from an early age and enjoying a prolific final year with Les Gones, posting 13 goals and 21 assists across all competitions.
Like Silva, the “ballon d’Or level talent”, as he has been called by data analyst Ben Mattinson, is an elite close-control operator, with awareness and flair of a similar calibre
Moreover, the 22-year-old is positionally versatile, much like a young Silva, and if he works on his composure and work rate across the deeper phases of play, could be fashioned into a maestro like the former City skipper.
Attacking midfield
71
20 (12)
Right winger
59
12 (23)
Left winger
17
0 (3)
Centre-forward
9
4 (0)
He does, after all, rank among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions and the top 2% for progressive passes per 90, data via FBref, emphasising his potential suitability for the role.
Thigh injuries have limited the Frenchman’s match action to just three matches this season, but he did score off the bench on City’s opening-day thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers, then playing almost an hour against Tottenham Hotspur, creating a big chance and winning five duels.
The fact that the fleet-footed talent has featured 185 times for Lyon and had a meeting with Liverpool head coach Arne Slot this summer, discussing a potential move to Merseyside, emphasises the calibre of player Guardiola has got his hands on.
And given Pep’s track record at elevating stars to elite status, there’s little question Cherki is in the perfect place to take that huge stride forward, having already been recognised by journalist Julien Laurens for being “a magician” when on the ball.
This special star was welcomed to help shape this next era at Manchester City, and it’s perhaps exciting that the club are finding their footing at this early-season stage without Cherki firing on all cylinders, or indeed playing at all.
Man City know they haven’t signed the finished article in Cherki, but a player who has the capacity to become one of the best in the world.
When Man City signed a 24-year-old Silva from Valencia in 2010, they gambled on a talented maestro with potential untapped.
As was so often the case during those early Sheikh Mansour days, the Etihad side got bang for their buck – and much, much more.
Not just Haaland: Man City monster already looks like another £100m player
While Erling Haaland has stolen the show, this Man City star has been crucial this season.
ByJoe Nuttall