Manchester City have revealed their first two signings of the January transfer window but most fans will be unfamiliar with the names Khusanov and Reis, so who are they and why is the club so excited about the new defensive duo?
While Man City still have a couple of other deals in the pipeline (at least one of which looks to be close to completion) the acquisition of centre-backs Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis is important for two main reasons.
For starters, Pep Guardiola has been looking to bolster his defensive ranks for a while now given recurring injuries and the imminent departure of Kyle Walker. Secondly, it’s always a big win to have beaten the competition in the race to sign two prospects who have been on the radar of several clubs.
Perhaps it’s best to first start with Khusanov and why his arrival not just at the Etihad but in England is significant, as Khusanov is the first Uzbekistan to ever represent Manchester City and play in the Premier League full stop. Historic.
Speaking in his first interview as a Blue, Khusanov declared: “This is not just for me but for Uzbekistan. The first Uzbek in the Premier League but I’m sure this is only the beginning. More Uzbek players will come and play here.
“There’s growing interest in football in Uzbekistan. For this reason, everybody there wants to qualify for the World Cup, we are just one stop away from qualifying.”
Born in February 2004, he’s already enjoyed 18 caps for his national team and is backed to be one of the future stars within a new generation looking to put their country on the footballing map.
A scout’s dream
Joining from RC Lens on a £33.6 million deal plus add-ons until 2029, the Uzbek centre-back was only picked by the Ligue 1 club relatively recently, having made the switch from Belarusian team Energetik-BGU for just £84,000 a little over 18 months ago.
Fast forward to Monday, 21 January and he has now found himself in the most competitive league in the world and that’s no accident: Khusanov has already impressed the European scene with his natural strength, aerial presence, pace, ball control and timed tackling, just to name a few standout traits.
It didn’t take long for his exploits at Lens to be noticed by scouts, with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United said to have been two of his earliest suitors; Man City and Leicester followed soon after along with other names from around the continent such as PSG, RB Leipzig and Atlético Madrid.
Having made 16 club appearances this season and scored his first goal in the French Cup against PSG – one which nearly saw them advance to the next were it not for penalties – he was bound to be snapped up by someone but CFG made sure they were first. But what about his fellow new arrival?
As for fellow youngster Vitor Reis, he’s another promising centre-half prospect signed from Brazilian club Palmeiras for a reported fixed fee of £29.4m.
The 19-year-old arrives in the Premier League from his boyhood club which he’s been at since the age of 11, having recently broken into the first team and making 22 senior appearances across all competitions. He only made his debut back in June 2024.
Donning the 22 shirt, he is already drawing early comparisons with new teammate Rúben Dias at his age which will be music to era City supporters’ ears given how crucial the now 27-year-old deputy has been to their success since 2020.
Hyping the youth product up, the head of Palmeiras’ academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, said: “Technique, speed, courage, you name it. Tactically, he’s a leader and understands the game like few others. And his mental strength is a joke. The kid is complete.”
Big words indeed.
As for Reis, he highlighted that he’s been a captain since he was little and when City called, there was no doubt. He also went on to insist that he’ll be a good fit for the system, adding: “They like to play with a lot of possession, I also like to play that way […] every kid that loves football is certainly watching Manchester City.”
We think it’s safe to say Blues can be understandably buzzing with the deals done so far.
Judging by what those in the know are saying about these two players, it looks like both Khusanov and Reis have everything you want in a defender on paper, at least. How they take to life at the Etihad and to the English game, we’ll have to wait and see.
Fabrizio Romano has also reported that a verbal agreement has been reached for another defender in Juma Bah from Real Valladolid, though it is believed he will be loaned to RC Lens following the Khusanov transfer. Regardless of the ongoing FFP and PSR investigations, City aren’t shying away from business.
Featured Images — Supporterhéninois(via Wikimedia Commons)/Manchester City
Sport
Pep Guardiola aims not-so-subtle dig at ‘destructive’ FIFA Club World Cup
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is the latest to voice his concerns surrounding the ongoing 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, delivering a not-so-subtle dig at the competition.
Ahead of Man City‘s round of 16 match against Al Hilal in this year’s Club World Cup, of which they won all their group stage games, the Catalan head coach has once again come out to criticise the increasingly congested fixture calendar.
His comments come after former Liverpool manager and now Head of Global Soccer for Red Bull, Jürgen Klopp, labelled the current off-season summer run of matches “the worst idea ever.”
Somewhat echoing his statement – or at the very least aligning with it (albeit indirectly) – Pep Guardiola gave his two cents also, claiming that the now extended, 32-team tournament could “destroy” his squad and their fortunes in the next campaign.
Clearly, Pep is far from the biggest of fan of the recently refreshed format, even despite having won the thing on four occasions in the past – the most recent being with Manchester City back in 2023.
Reflecting on what impact he fears the Club World Cup may have on his team next season, Guardiola said: “I try not to think about it, otherwise I will be so anxious. We will rest [for as much time as] the Premier League allows us to.
“And game by game, month by month, we will see. And maybe in November, December, January, ask me, Pep. I may say: ‘So listen, we are a disaster. We are exhausted. The World Cup destroyed us.’ I don’t know, but it’s the first time in our [lives] that that’s happened [a 32-team CWC]. So we will see…”
Unpredictable weather in the United States, where the action is being hosted, has also been the subject of outrage in some cases, with Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca stating, “It’s a joke! It’s not football”, after a major storm delay mid-game pushed meant that one of their games took five hours to finish.
The 54-year-old also insisted that those who were against the tweaked concept “fought a lot” here in England, in UEFA meetings and so on, as was the case with the revision of the new layout of the Champions League, but to no avail.
Jurgen Klopp: "NBA player earns a lot of money & has 4 months of rest per year. Van Dijk didn't even have that in his entire career. Tournaments such as the Club World Cup cannot take place at the expense of players" [Die Welt]
Regarding Klopp, who set this latest chain of criticism, he claims that whoever wins the 2025 Club World Cup is ultimately “pointless” and will be “the worst winner of all time because they’ll have played all summer and then gone straight back into the league.”
In his eyes, the decisions are being made by people who have “never been involved” with the pressure of day-to-day life in professional football and the physical toll of multiple competitions, in particular.
As for who might win the 2025 CWC, it could very well be Man City for a second time, as the Blues are the only team remaining that has a 100% win ratio this year, having most recently thrashed Juventus 5-2 in their last game.
Nevertheless, it seems that the stance of Klopp, Guardiola, Maresca and more is pretty plain: this particular tournament will go down in the record books for the wrong reasons, and they won’t be happy until the format is revisited.
Do you agree with Pep and co. on the Club World Cup controversy?
Featured Images — Man City (screenshot via YouTube)
Sport
The latest on Salford Red Devils financial situation as ‘winding-up’ petition is adjourned
Danny Jones
The current situation at Salford Red Devils is far from ideal, with the rugby league team currently owing hundreds of thousands of pounds in debt, not to mention facing further stress over finances with players owed wages, key personnel leaving and remaining uncertainty over future ownership.
So, why is the board expressing reassurance among supporters following the recent adjournment of a ‘winding-up’ petition, and what exactly does this mean?
It is no doubt a complex issue, but with the season concluding in October and the Greater Manchester club essentially being given a stay of execution, for lack of a better phrase, it’s possible that a corner could hopefully be turned soon.
Here’s everything we know so far about the situation in Salford and where the Red Devils’ finances are currently at.
Salford Red Devils’ finances and more – explained
For a start, they’re late on payroll again this month.
Salford Red Devils players have been told they will not receive their salaries today.https://t.co/ofHTR0uZyN
According to recent reports, Salford Red Devils owe more than half a million pounds to His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at present, with current estimates said to be in the region of £600,000.
The Super League side has fallen into debt due to a number of factors: their own performance as a business, cuts to local funding and a period of spending in terms of recruitment and pre-season preparation under the assumption of a subsidy from Salford City Council (SCC).
However, this would-be uplift – despite it being promised late last year – never came as the Council (having already provided £315k in ‘immediate’ financial aid back in March 2024) U-turned on the decision after it was revealed further backing was not in the budget.
SCC ended up owing around £2 million itself after stepping in to save both SRD and fellow rugby league outfit Swinton Lions, handing out loans to both clubs even prior to purchasing Salford Community Stadium and the surrounding area.
The Council ultimately shelled out north of £7.7m to buy the ground and sever commercial ties with previous owners, Peel. They had hoped to further alleviate pressure on the club, but Salford Red Devils (SRD) had already spent the money they were expecting to receive on new players, training and more.
SRD were then told to sell off a number of players by the league.
With all this in mind, something called a ‘winding-up’ petition – basically a document sent by creditors that demands the immediate liquidation of a company/organisation that owes them money – was filed by HMRC back in May, with the tax authorities demanding payment of the outstanding sum.
However, special dispensation appears to have been made not only due to the complicated and unforeseen circumstances Salford have faced along the way, but also for the sake of the Rugby Football League (RFL) itself, with the Red Devils still seen as a valuable sporting and community asset.
One of those unexpected twists was the takeover by a new consortium led by Dario Berta, whose investment failed to clear in time and resulted in the club being hit with the financial sustainability problem that saw them cutbacks.
In a small bit of good fortune, it has now been decided that the petition to liquidate the SRD has been postponed, though not indefinitely.
As expected, there is good news that the winding-up petition filed by HMRC against Salford Red Devils has been successfully adjourned by the club's representatives in London until after the season has finished in September.
It's important to focus on supporting Salford as they…
— The Game Caller 🗣🎙📻 (@TheGameCaller) June 25, 2025
What could happen next?
The date for coughing up what debt they owe to the tax authorities has now been pushed back to September, meaning they have until then to find the finances, or else they could very well be made insolvent in a matter of months.
However, as per BBC Radio Manchester, those involved in the ongoing process are “confident” that bridging loans will be put in place over the coming days to keep HMRC at bay.
And, nevertheless, head coach Paul Rowley has insisted that he can see “green shoots” starting to emerge around the club, despite still sitting bottom of the table with just one win to their name.
What’s for sure is that the local area isn’t giving up on them, with numerous fundraisers and charity events being set up to help support the club via the official Salford Red Devils Foundation.
Fingers firmly crossed that there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Danny Jones -
21st January 2025 
