£750million, records broken and a transfer window like no other

The marquee deadline day addition has been a deal in the making over the past few weeks with the player keen to link up with Enzo Maresca and Chelsea willing to sell. Maresca has long wanted Fernandez to join him at the Etihad, believing the 25-year-old to carry the ability, mentality and character to help shape this new-look City squad.

Fernandez, who scored a last-minute equaliser for Chelsea at the Etihad in January's 1-1 draw between the teams, had flirted with Real Madrid earlier in the summer but had made it clear he was keen to leave Stamford Bridge, three years on from signing for £107m from Benfica.

Maresca wanted him at City and while there were other options discussed internally - including Adam Wharton at Crystal Palace and Roma's Manu Kone - the Blues decided on Fernandez.

The World Cup winner was a player City actively distanced themselves from at the start of the summer, suggesting the hierarchy haven't always viewed Fernandez as plan A. But having lost Bernardo Silva on a free transfer and then sold Rodri, Nico Gonzalez and Tijjani Reijnders, City had to bring in a third central midfielder to supplement the arrivals of Elliot Anderson and Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Whether Hugo Viana and the City recruitment team could have got a deal done earlier is a valid question, given the terms of the transfer haven't shifted in the closing weeks of the window. And, much like with Bouaddi, City have ultimately paid the asking price of the selling club having initially seemed reluctant to do so on both occasions.

That City waited until the final few days of the window to conclude more than £200m worth of business for Fernandez and Bouaddi when both could have been in the building earlier in the window perhaps serves to emphasise just how uncertain the Blues' summer has been.

With a new manager, a mass exodus of players and a desire to replace all exits, it has been a frantic few months which has seen City spend £457million and recoup £289m according to figures from transfermarkt, and that doesn't include the £60m fee agreed with Tottenham for Marmoush.

City sanctioned the departures of several fringe players with the decision to offload Reijnders, Marmoush and Gonzalez - all signed under Viana's watch within the last 18 months - calling into question the recent recruitment strategy.

Savinho has also left the club just two years on from arriving and James Trafford has departed 12 months on from returning to the club.

That level of squad churn does not usually align with success but Maresca has his man in Fernandez, along with an elite-level signing in Anderson. Bouaddi can be the present and future such is his talent at 18, and Iliman Ndiaye looks a shrewd investment even if he was City's second-choice behind Liverpool's Cody Gakpo.

When it became apparent that Liverpool were struggling to source a replacement for the Netherlands international, who City were in talks to sign for £80m, the Blues pivoted to Ndiaye, a player they have held an interest in and who fits the profile. He arrives for an initial £20m less than the Gakpo price, is younger than the Anfield man and has been in English football for longer having played at Boreham Wood and Sheffield United before spending a year with Marseille prior to linking up with Everton.

On Friday night, while City were impressing on the pitch at Selhurst Park, off it the Blues hierarchy were moving forward with the Gakpo deal. 72 hours later and the roadblock meant a swift and decisive switch to Ndiaye, who at one point seemed close to joining Tottenham.

City deserve credit for being alert and adaptable enough to switch targets, and Ndiaye offers the much-needed option to play out wide and provide an alternative to Erling Haaland through the middle.

The deadline day deals take City's spending to more than £450 million this month in reshaping their squad yet they've recouped a huge chunk of that through sales in what has been a window of more than 25 permanent transfers.

The Blues have got themselves a squad with competition, depth and quality and the challenge now is for Maresca to mould it into one that can compete for trophies.

The challenge for Viana is to ensure the business of this window can be long-lasting. It won't just be the new boss hoping for a successful season; the sporting director will also hope this summer's spending spree is money well spent.

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