Maresca's Manchester City overhaul: the numbers behind record squad turnover

Manchester City are going through a level of squad turnover that would have been unthinkable during the Pep Guardiola era. A group once defined by continuity is now packed with recent arrivals under Enzo Maresca. Unlike Arne Slot, who benefited in his first Liverpool season from keeping the squad Jürgen Klopp left behind, the Italian coach has to oversee City's evolution while winning every week. Leaning on relatively new players has not cost them Premier League points yet, but there are reasons to be concerned before Sunday's derby at Old Trafford.

• City need to replace 37.2% of last season's Premier League minutes, far above the Guardiola-era average.
• Only one player across the five key defensive positions was at the club when the 2025-26 season began.
• More than 91% of Fantasy Premier League managers used their triple captain chip on Haaland against Coventry, and he scored just once.
• Aston Villa, Tottenham, Newcastle and Brighton are the only clubs with more turnover than City.
• Arsenal and Manchester United have kept more settled squads, which could matter in the title race.

The stat that explains City's record squad turnover

There is a way to measure how much a squad changes from one season to the next. With eleven players playing 90 minutes across 38 games, a Premier League campaign consists of 37,620 player minutes. Last season, players who combined for 13,998 minutes for City have not appeared for them in the league this term, and most never will because they have left the club. That means 37.2% of the team's minutes need to be replaced: that is their turnover rate.

Across Guardiola's ten seasons, that figure averaged 14.5% and was no higher than 7.5% on four occasions. Almost everyone who contributed meaningful minutes one year did so the next. There was a seven-year spell of supreme stability in the middle of Guardiola's tenure, though the squad evolution had already begun in his final campaign.

The exits that have emptied the dressing room since May

The list of departures since May is long and significant. Bernardo Silva and Rodri were pivotal to City's success and played hundreds of matches before leaving. Nico González lasted just 18 months in Manchester, and Tijjani Reijnders even less. He came, beat Wolves, conquered few others, and is now in the Saudi Pro League. Omar Marmoush and Sávio, with 50 league starts between them, have been shipped to Tottenham. City's financial power largely shields them from the cost of transfer failures, but their recent recruitment has been flawed in several areas.

Signings that worked and how City compare with rivals

There is room for balance, too. Marc Guéhi and Antoine Semenyo only played half of 2025-26 for City and quickly established themselves in the first-choice XI. Jérémy Doku, a key player last season, has not featured in the league this term: his return from injury will lift the retention rate, though it will not bring City up to the Premier League average of 31.9%.

Only Aston Villa, Tottenham, Newcastle and Brighton are experiencing more turnover than City. Those clubs also match or top Maresca's side when it comes to having five players who logged at least 1,500 league minutes last season but have not appeared in 2026-27. The difference is that none of them are expected to challenge for the Premier League or the Champions League. Arsenal have kept a more settled squad, which should help them chase those goals.

The Old Trafford derby, Maresca's immediate test

The most pressing hurdle for City is the derby against Manchester United, another club with an above-average retention rate and currently fifth in the table. Marcus Rashford does not count in the comparison because he spent last season out on loan and did not play Premier League minutes for the Old Trafford side.

Maresca may turn to more of City's established players for such a demanding fixture than he did against Coventry. Phil Foden has only scored more goals against Brighton than he has against United, and O'Reilly is fit to return. Rotating against a relative minnow is one thing; taking chances in a derby is another.

A bigger challenge than any Guardiola faced

Whatever the outcome at Old Trafford, the man charged with the impossible task of succeeding Guardiola is tackling the challenge with a squad that has undergone more turnover than any his predecessor handled. City are no longer the model of stability they once were: they are a project in full rebuild that, for now, remains competitive through new talent and the non-negotiable demand to win every week.