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.
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“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.
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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.
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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.”
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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
The Manchester-born clothing brand being worn by some brilliant Northern sporting talents
Danny Jones
Back in 2020, HEX MCR burst onto the casualwear and sporting apparel scene and quickly became a cult favourite not just around Greater Manchester, but within the boxing and combat sports world as a whole.
They may have been away for a little while, but now under new ownership and hoping to venture even further out into the fashion industry than ever, they’re definitely ones to watch.
We wouldn’t quite call it a comeback fight, but they’re definitely starting to make a splash on their return to the scene.
Having been acquired by Craig Chiocci, a Wigan-based entrepreneur who owns a telecommunication company of the same name, 2026 looks set to be the year you’ll see more of their label out and about than ever – in fact, they’re already teaming up with some more British boxing talents once again.
Calvin Moyo wearing HEXThe worker bee insignia is never far away*Adds to basket*HEX hoodies have always been popularCredit: HEX MCR (supplied)
Continuing their trend of backing Northern fighters, in particular, they’ll be backing Doncaster-born boxer, Dave ‘The White Rhino’ Allen, for his hometown bout against top heavyweight, Filip Hrgović.
Allen, 34, will face off against the Croatian pugilist at the Eco-Power Stadium on Saturday, 16 May – donning the latest HEX MCR gear ahead of the fight, of course.
It’s far from the first time their casualwear will have been worn by a well-known face, either; the Manc brand has also been represented by the likes of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship star Luke Brassfield – who’ll be fighting at BKFC Birmingham on Saturday, 30 May – as well as plenty of boxers.
Joe Howarth, Kian Hamilton, Liam Carrigan, and many others have all pulled on their hats, hoodies, graphic t-shirts and more.
Crediting the original founders, Luke Powell and Andy Gibson – who started the company as a pandemic project in 2020 – Chiocci said: “They did a fantastic job getting HEX to where it is. It grabbed my attention as I was a consumer first, who simply appreciated the exceptional designs and premium quality.
“Manchester and the North West are a hive of activity at the moment, producing the best creative people who are developing fantastic brands and designs in the fashion industry. HEX is one of those brands that has the potential to truly make an impact.”
Craig has made it abundantly clear that he’s got big plans for the future of the already popular independent business moving forward.
For instance, as part of this revival, they’ve just released a new line of headwear to their clothing range, made more premium than ever and with each piece showcasing the ‘HEX Worker Bee’ logo design on the side panel as a nod to the Northern Quarter and the city’s industrial origins.
Speaking to The Manc, he went on to add: “This is just the start, Dave has been very helpful to us in supporting our growth and seeing our vision for HEX within the Boxing scene, we can’t wait to repay the favour in supporting him in his upcoming fight.
“We think he will surprise a lot of people and get the result. He’s in fantastic shape. We are a brand formed from the back streets of Manchester, and we feel that the brand is suited to fighters who have to show true grit and resilience.”
If you fancy adding their latest stuff to your fits, you can help support a rising local indie by checking out the full HEX MCR collection right HERE.
Their new Hybrid Sports HatActor Adam Thomas wearing HEX(L-R) Dave Allen, Craig Chiocci, Liam CarriganWill ‘Brasshammer’ Brassfield win in HEX this month?Credit: Supplied
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Hex MCR)
Sport
Barca or back home? – Marcus Rashford makes feelings known on his future
Danny Jones
Marcus Rashford looks to have made his feelings on his future at Barcelona perfectly clear in a recent interview after winning his first senior championship and second trophy in Spain.
Rashford, a lifelong Man United fan and Carrington academy graduate, is only on loan at the Catalan club, but Barca does have the option of buying him on a permanent transfer.
A few rumours had been circulating that the newly crowned La Liga champions were unsure about activating that clause; however, these looked to have been largely quashed, and if there was any doubt around whether or not most fans want him to stay, he certainly helped put that to bed on Sunday night.
More importantly, the Manchester-born England international and still-growing European star has said, in no uncertain terms, that he wants to stay at the Camp Nou.
As you can see, during his post-match interviews after lifting the league title with the Spanish giants, Rashford was asked whether he would like Barcelona to sign him full-time.
While he may have acknowledged that the proposed permanent purchase price – said to be between £26-30 million – and his wages (of which Barca are covering in full after he agreed to a 25% pay cut) may still prove to be an obstacle, he would like to remain with the Blaugrana.
Speaking further with BBC Sport, the 28-year-old said: “I always had an admiration for Barcelona, that was my second team, so yeah, it’s a dream to come here, and to win is so important to me.”
He also confessed that finally winning a league title in such a big way, against their biggest rivals, Real Madrid, is a huge moment in his career.
In case you missed it, ‘Rashy’ opened the scoring in the 264th edition of ‘El Clásico’ with an absolute wondergoal that is one to behold from pretty much any angle…
Yeah, as far as worldies go, you won’t find many better than that in his catalogue, though he has scored a few fantastic free-kicks over the years.
Taking his tally for the season to 14 goals and 14 assists across all competitions – a fitting figure given it’s the same one as his current shirt number – one of his best overall returns in a few years.
Now well and truly within those ‘prime years’ for a footballer, it’s more crucial than ever that he not just regain his form but maintain, especially with a World Cup looming, so it’s no surprise that he’s looking to continue his journey there.
You can watch the highlights from the latest Clásico clash and title-deciding match down below.
These are the games players dream of playing in, let alone scoring in such style.
Danny Jones -
21st January 2025 
