Another summer transfer window has been and gone and for Manchester City there has been plenty of change.
Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko are among the senior names who departed the Etihad Stadium this summer as well as a handful of youth prospects. In their place arrived the likes of Erling Haaland, Julian Alvarez and most recently Manuel Akanji.
Concerns from some members of the fanbase over the high turnover in players this summer have been negated by the strong start City have made to the Premier League. Four wins and a draw from their opening five matches is impressive no matter who the opponents are.
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Somehow, the Blues continue to find a way of improving on what is seemingly beyond improvement, from the outside looking in. A key factor in this could be the quality which Pep Guardiola is now desperate for his players to have.
Speaking in his Aston Villa press conference, Guardiola explained: "We are really pleased about him [Haaland], a lovely guy. You see his passion, in the same way with Stefan [Ortega], Julian [Alvarez], Kalvin [Phillips], now Manuel [Akanji], this is what I'm looking for.
"To be comfortable here, what happens in the future I don't know." It seems to be an overly simplified answer for success but it will no doubt end up shifting how the Blues operate in all future transfer windows under Guardiola.
The richest clubs in Europe can now afford to buy any player they wish. Of course, certain players are valued differently by teams but should they want that player - they can pay whatever amount they see fit within spending limits.
City are in this core group of football clubs who are fortunate enough to have a 'blank cheque book', so to speak. With that does come the responsibility of needing to sign players who will add value to their squads rather than diminish them.
For instance, there is no doubt that there are currently 101 different centre-backs who can fulfil the role which Akanji has been brought in to do. But what they will not all have is the passion which Guardiola can see Akanji possessing.
Any successful workplace thrives when the staff are passionate about the project and want to do well. Those that aren't falter.
Looking ahead to January, following an unprecedented winter World Cup, there will no doubt be a scramble for the breakout stars. Many will expect City to splash the cash along with the world's elite but, should no-one have the one criteria that cannot be trained, it could be a quiet start to 2023 for the Blues' fax machine.
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