Man City’s best Premier League signings of all time

Manchester City's takeover in 2008 completely changed their history, and now they are one of the most feared teams in world football.

While there are question marks over the legality of their spending with 115 charges looming over their heads, they have still bought some world-class superstars that have helped them win major silverware.

Here, FootballWhispers counts down Man City's best five signings of the Premier League era, with no room for the likes of David Silva or Yaya Toure!

5) Erling Haaland

Erling Haaland is not a bad way to kick off the list, after Man City paid what now looks a measly £51m to sign him from Borussia Dortmund in 2022.

His debut season in Manchester was truly remarkable, as the Cityzens won the coveted treble only matched by their city rivals Manchester United in English football.

Haaland also broke the record for the most goals in a Premier League season, notching up 36, and was a solid candidate to win the Ballon d'Or.

The Norwegian continues to break records in a Man City shirt, and we are sure he will hit double figures for trophies won at the club very soon.

4) Kevin De Bruyne

How Kevin De Bruyne only makes it into fourth in this list just shows how many incredible signings Man City have made.

Bought for what many claimed was a hefty £65m fee from Wolfsburg in 2015, the Belgian put in a decade of service in Manchester, winning an astonishing 17 trophies along the way.

Among those are the Champions League and six Premier League titles, as he was instrumental in the Cityzens winning four in a row between 2021-2024.

De Bruyne is widely regarded to be one of the best players to ever play in the Premier League, with his passing ability and vision especially unmatched.

3) Sergio Aguero

The man who started Man City's dynasty is in third in Sergio Aguero, after scoring the most dramatic winning goal in Premier League history to give the Cityzens their first title over city rivals Man United in 2012.

That was one of a staggering 260 strikes for the club, and so Aguero remains Man City's all-time record goalscorer.

£34m from Atletico Madrid in 2011 now looks an absolute steal, and he was really the striker that elevated the club from title challengers to winners.

Aguero gave a decade of service in Manchester, winning a total of 15 trophies.

Want to know who Man City might sign this summer? Check out our Man City transfer targets page.

2) Vincent Kompany

Largely because he was bought for only £7m from Hamburg in 2008, Vincent Kompany claims the runner-up spot in this list.

The fee is absolutely miniscule given how much service he gave to Man City as their captain.

In 11 years, he won 12 trophies including four Premier League titles, and even scored some important goals from centre-back to ensure he lifted major silverware.

Now an accomplished manager at Bayern Munich, Kompany goes down as one of the best-ever defenders of the Premier League era.

1) Man City's best Premier League signing of all time: Rodri

A little bit of recency bias may be in play here, but Rodri is the only player on this list to win the Ballon d'Or after Man City paid £60m to Atletico Madrid for his services in 2019.

Just joining Barcelona this summer off the back of winning the World Cup with Spain, the midfield maestro won 13 trophies during his time at Man City, including four Premier League titles and the Champions League.

He scored the winning goal in the Champions League final against Inter Milan in 2023, giving the Cityzens what remains their only Champions League trophy.

After winning the Ballon d'Or in 2024, Rodri will go down as one of the best players of the modern era, and in Premier League history.