Every time Manchester City look to have rediscovered their ability to win when it matters, Pep Guardiola gets a crushing reminder that his team isn't to be trusted.
Man City drew 0-0 with Southampton at St Mary's Stadium on Saturday, a result that confirmed that the Saints won't be the worst team in Premier League history and struck a damaging blow to City's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Guardiola's men were the width of the woodwork away from a win they really wouldn't have deserved as they fell a long way short of expectations yet again.
City's season has been a catastrophe by their modern standards. Despite a solid start, they've been miles off the pace in the league and were knocked out of the Champions League with relative ease by Real Madrid.
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Dropping points against relegated Southampton is another low and might just have sharpened the focus on the recruitment challenges ahead in the summer transfer window.
City will be targeting players of a level that demands Champions League participation and one of them could be a big-money creative midfielder from a Premier League rival.
Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White is in the form of his life and is understood to be a target for City three years after he was signed for a hefty fee from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Speaking on Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, former Tottenham Hotspur and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson was clear that Forest won't be bullied into selling Gibbs-White on the cheap.
"I think it’s going to cost a lot of money, but there’s an opportunity there with Forest, with their FFP and PSR [situation]," said Robinson.
"Manchester City obviously spent heavily in January, so they’re going to have to tow the line as well. If a big bid does come in for him, that might be the only one that City get to do in the summer, in all honesty.
"Because that’s going to cost them, that could be their whole budget in one go, but it would certainly be worth it after the recruits they got in January."
Gibbs-White, now a full England international, has flourished at Forest.
The 25-year-old has been a driving force behind his club's charge towards European football this season, fulfilling a vital tactical role in a team that plays from back to front at breakneck speed and contributing five goals and seven assists into the bargain.
City won't be getting a bargain if Gibbs-White is their number one transfer desire but if they can qualify for the Champions League, they might yet be able to pull off a move.
Topics: Man City, Manchester City, Manchester City Transfer News & Rumours, Premier League, Champions League
Chris Nee