This iteration of Manchester City looks to be more ruthless than the last

In July of 2025, Txiki Begiristain stepped down from his role as the Director of Football at Manchester City . Begiristain spent 13 years at City , and in that time he helped establish the club as a powerhouse of English and European football. Txiki Begiristain’s time at City was trophy-laden and his work at the club is a credit to himself and his team. Following Begiristain’s departure, Hugo Viana has become Manchester City’s Director of Football.

What has become apparent very quickly is that Viana is a completely different type of operator to Begiristain. There is a ruthless side to Viana in the transfer market and Manchester City’s move to sign Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth and the imminent signing of Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi speak to this fact.

Entering the January transfer window, the opportunity to sign Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi was there for any club, especially clubs in the Premier League. Semenyo had a release clause in his contract with Bournemouth. Guehi was entering the final six months of his contract with Crystal Palace. The opportunity was there for any club to make their move. It was Hugo Viana and Manchester City that struck first, and it shows a ruthless side to the way Hugo Viana operates.

No time has been wasted by Viana to bring in two players that Manchester City needed. Pep Guardiola’s squad needed a goal scoring winger. Viana acted quickly to sign Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth. Yes, Semenyo stayed at Bournemouth to begin January, but he was always headed to the Etihad. City had their man and it was masterstroke by Viana to sign the Ghana international.

Manchester City’s imminent signing of Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace is another masterstroke. City desperately needed a centre-back after Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias went down injured. Viana acted decisively to get the player they so desperately needed. Manchester City’s Director of Football seized on an opportunity in the transfer market. Crystal Palace would not have wanted to lose Guehi for free this summer. Palace have picked up a tidy transfer fee for a player they could have lost for free, and City have beaten their rivals to sign a centre-back that they desperately needed.

Manchester City’s move for Marc Guehi was a shrewd one by Hugo Viana. He didn’t pass up the opportunity to sign one of the best centre-backs in the Premier League. Viana helped City beat their rivals to sign one of the most in-demand defenders on the market. It is a great piece of business and a move that shows that Viana will act quick and decisively when the opportunity arises.

Under Txiki Begiristain, Manchester City were calm and collected in the transfer market. They sounded out their transfer targets and moved in a calm and calculating manner. It was a proven formula that worked as evidenced by the 21 major trophies that City won with Begiristain in place as the club’s Director of Football. Txiki Begiristain’s fantastic work laid the platform for Hugo Viana to come in and get to work.

Hugo Viana has quickly made his mark as Manchester City’s Director of Football. He is decisive in the transfer market and he will act quickly to get business done. Manchester City’s signing of Antoine Semenyo , and the imminent signing of Marc Guehi speaks to this.

This iteration of Manchester City looks to be more ruthless in the transfer market than the era of success that Txiki Begiristain overlooked. If Viana can be half as successful as Begiristain he will have done a wonderful job. It won’t be through a lack of guile and ruthlessness that holds Hugo Viana back. That is clear to see based on the events of the past two weeks.