We 'signed' Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov in dream Man City transfer window

Manchester City have been linked with a host of players in the January transfer window, with new additions needed for Pep Guardiola's side to get their season back on track.

After a strong start, City's season derailed between October and December, with Guardiola's side winning just once in 13 games, losing nine games in that period. A host of injury issues and a lack of depth in certain positions has proven costly, and it now looks as if City may be prompted to make some signings this month.

Two names that have been linked with City are Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush and Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov. Marmoush has managed 18 goals and 11 assists so far this season in Germany, while 20-year-old Uzbekistan international Khusanov has proven himself as one of the best defensive prospects in world football this campaign.

So, if City were to have a dream transfer window with both of these players signing, what could happen? Let's take a look.

Rest of Man City's 2024/25 season simulated with Omar Marmoush and Abdukodir Khusanov

To set up this simulation, we used Football Manager 2024 to move Marmoush and Khusanov to City in the January transfer window before simulating the rest of the 2024/25 season. This is how Guardiola's side performed with the duo in their squad.

Khusanov made 11 appearances across all competitions for City after joining the club, with seven of them coming from the bench. But, with Nathan Ake, John Stones, and Ruben Dias all returning to full fitness in the second half of the season, the defender's game time was limited.

As for Marmoush, the Egyptian unfortunately suffered from a handful of injury problems in his time at the club, but when he did play, he was fantastic. Being deployed behind Erling Haaland more than not, Marmoush managed to score eight goals in eight games, averaging a rating of 7.1 in that time. Two of his goals were free-kicks as well, showing his danger from set-pieces.

At the end of the 2024/25 season, Football Manager 2024 put together an overall best Man City XI, based on performances, statistics, and other metrics. This is what it looked like:

Full City best XI: (4-3-3): Ederson; Lewis, Ake, Dias, Gvardiol; Rodri, De Bruyne, Nunes; Silva, Haaland, Foden.

Due to limited appearances, neither Marmoush nor Khusanov made City's best XI from the 2024/25 season, with Haaland starting alongside Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva in attack after scoring 26 goals across all competitions. Rodri's high average rating earned him a spot in the XI despite missing the majority of the season, while Matheus Nunes also featured, with the midfielder becoming a regular in the second half of the season.

With the new signings and players returning from injury, City did improve in the second half of the season, losing just one of their final 18 Premier League games. But, they were still far from their best, with Guardiola's side winning only eight times in the league.

18 wins, 13 draws, and seven losses saw City end the campaign with 67 points, enough to finish fourth and secure a spot in the Champions League for the following season. But, their huge number of draws ensured they failed to get back into any sort of title race, with Guardiola's side finishing 22 points off league winners Liverpool.

In the cup competitions, City were only able to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League where they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Inter. They did make it to the FA Cup final, but a thrilling encounter saw them fall to a 4-3 defeat against Chelsea.