While it wasn’t the perfect weekend for Manchester City, it wasn’t far off.
The Citizens claimed all three points in what was a relatively routine win over Everton, while Liverpool lost at home to Manchester United.
So, while they are still three points behind Arsenal, Pep Guardiola’s side are now a point clear of the Reds in second place and look set to mount a proper challenge for the Premier League title.
Moreover, with Erling Haaland back to his very best, there is no reason they couldn’t overtake the Gunners, especially when another of Pep’s best signings is playing so well.
Pep's best Man City signings
On top of revolutionising the way the game is played in this country, Guardiola has also signed some of the very best players to grace the Premier League.
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For example, while he was already performing at a high level for Tottenham Hotspur, it would be hard to deny that Kyle Walker massively improved during his time in the North West.
During his time with the club, the Burnley ace made 319 appearances, during which he scored six goals, provided 23 assists, averaged 2.33 points per game and won everything there is to win in the club game, including a Champions League and six league titles.
Appearances
319
Starts
286
Minutes
25710′
Goals
6
Assists
23
Points per Game
2.33
Another stalwart of Pep’s best sides has been Rodri, as before his injury problems last season, he was one of the very best players in the world.
After all, the Spaniard is the only defensive midfielder to ever win the Ballon d’Or.
Moving on from defensive players, it’s hard to look past Bernardo Silva when it comes to the iconic manager’s best City signings.
The former AS Monaco dynamo moved to Manchester in the summer of 2017 and has since made an astounding 417 appearances across all competitions, in which he has scored 72 goals, provided 74 assists and dazzled fans all over the country with his mercurial abilities on the ball.
Finally, it would be impossible to talk about some of Guardiola’s best signings and not bring up Haaland.
The former Borussia Dortmund star made his way to the Etihad in the summer of 2022, and to say he has been a successful signing would be a laughable understatement.
Appearances
156
Starts
148
Minutes
12774′
Goals
138
Assists
22
Goal Involvements per Game
1.02
Minutes per Goal Involvement
79.83′
Points per Game
2.12
At the time of writing, the Leeds-born force of nature has scored 138 goals and provided 22 assists in 156 games for the club, totalling 12774 minutes.
In other words, the 25-year-old monster has averaged 1.02 goal involvements per game, or one every 79.83 minutes since joining City.
In all, it would be fair to say that Guardiola has signed more than his fair share of stars over the years, and it looks like he might have just landed his best since Haaland.
Guardiola's best signing since Haaland
Fortunately, there are a few players who could claim this title, from Josko Gvardiol to Savinho, but in this instance, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to look past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
Yes, the Italian international only joined City this summer, but he is already putting in brilliant performances for the club.
And while some may say he lacks the ball-playing ability of Ederson, he more than makes up for it with his shot-stopping, which is surely what matters most with a goalkeeper.
His game-saving abilities were on full show in the match away to Brentford, when he came out on top from a one-on-one situation with Igor Thiago.
Moreover, while it is still early on in his time at the Etihad, the numbers are already showing that he should be in the same conversations with the very best in the league.
For example, he has conceded just two goals, which works out to 0.40 per 90 and puts him just behind David Raya who many would consider to be a part of the best defensive unit in the league, if not the world.
Finally, on top of the promising start to his time in the North West, there are also plenty of examples of him putting in game-saving performances for Paris Saint-Germain and Italy over the years.
For example, in the Champions League semi-finals last season, he prevented 2.09 goals across both legs against Arsenal, which was enough to send the Parisians through and see Italy legend Alessandro Costacurta label him “the best in the world.”
Ultimately, so long as Donnarumma can keep up the form he is already showing this season, and replicate some of his incredible performances of seasons prior, then it might soon be a commonly held opinion that he’s City’s best signing since Haaland.