Cavan Sullivan is coming, and the hype is real
Cavan Sullivan arrives at City and the noise around him keeps growing. The 2026 season with the Philadelphia Union is what started it, and now he has a first USMNT cap and a goal to go with it (1).
Mauricio Pochettino did not hold back: "I think he's a talented player with enormous quality, but with a very good balance, in possession and out of possession. He's a fighter, he's a warrior. It's difficult to find this type of player with tremendous quality with the ball in possession" (1).
Remember the name. City fans are about to hear it a lot.
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Mary Fowler misses Australia's friendlies
Mary Fowler is out of the Matildas squad for the friendlies against Germany and Haiti (2). The reason given is personal circumstances. Charlton midfielder Leah Davidson takes her place (2).
No timeline on her return.
Sam Coffey out for the USWNT
Sam Coffey is injured and out of the United States squad for the matches against Spain (6). Jaelin Howell and Kate Del Fava come in as replacements (6).
Two City players, two absences this international window.
Guardiola's rebuild draws eyes from three rivals
Marcos Llorente is on City's radar, but the club are not alone. Liverpool and Chelsea are also watching, while Atlético Madrid try to extend his deal past 2027 (3).
Ibrahim Maza is the other name in the folder. Arsenal and Tottenham have pushed harder for the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder, with Chelsea and Aston Villa also circling (7). City are still in it (7).
Rayan Cherki reportedly wants a short-term exit from City, and Chelsea have not dropped their interest (8).
The off-pitch noise
Reports claim Manchester United have been told they have a "real chance" to land Elliot Anderson from City if the club are expelled from the Premier League (4).
Real Madrid are tracking Gianluigi Donnarumma as a long-term successor to Thibaut Courtois (5).
Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday
City sit top of the league on 15 points from 5 games, a perfect record, +8 goal difference. Sunday takes you to Anfield: Liverpool away, Sunday October 11, 17:30 CEST.
Then Paris Saint-Germain at home in the Champions League on Wednesday October 14, 21:00 CEST, and Ipswich Town at home on Saturday October 17, 16:00 CEST.
Fan reactions
The mood is split between the pitch and the paperwork. On r/soccer, fans are chewing over reports that City's own evidence to Uefa about a mystery broker who made two £15million payments in 2012 and 2013 could undermine the club, and David Ornstein's claim that Sheikh Mansour may not have known about the sham sponsorship contracts. Back on r/MCFC, one thread urges fans to use the moment to push for a 50+1 ownership model, while another asks how Maresca is rated two months in given the perfect record so far.
