The football world was rocked by the verdict of investigations into Manchester City’s finances during the international break, and we await to hear what sanctions will be enforced on a club which has been the Premier League’s dominant force in the last decade and more.This was already a season of change for City, with legendary manager Pep Guardiola calling time on a trophy-laden tenure with the club. Under the Spaniard, Manchester City won the Premier League title six times in ten seasons and 17 domestic trophies in total. All of those now come with an asterisk.They have seen Liverpool and Arsenal each win a title since their last one in 2024, however, and new manager Enzo Maresca has some work to do to bring the Cityzens back to the very top. The latest Man City odds show the bookies believe – for now – they are in the conversation, until we learn how and when they will be punished for artificially inflating their revenues with what the Premier League’s Independent Commission called “sham contracts” with sponsors.Besides those odds on Man City to win the league, there are plenty of other ways you can back them over the course of the campaign, and we’ll explore some of those in this article. Odds on Man City to win the leagueHere is the lie of the Premier League land according to the bookies:Arsenal – 4/7 with BetwayMan City – 4/1 with bet365Chelsea – 12/1 with Sky BetBrighton – 18/1 with Star SportsLiverpool – 20/1 with BOYLE SportsMan United – 150/1 with AK BetsAston Villa – 500/1 with Paddy Power*Odds correct at time of writing, and are subject to change.Defending champions Arsenal are the favourites to defend their title, which they were unable to do on the three previous occasions they won it. The margin was very slight, until this seismic news broke. Because of that, despite City being three points clear after seven wins from seven, you can get odds of 4/1 on them being champions.City were, at one point, threatening to pip the Gunners to the crown once again last season, just as they did in 2023 and 2024. The momentum appeared to be with Guardiola’s side after Erling Haaland netted the winner in their summit meeting in mid-April. Dropped points at Everton and Bournemouth later that month, however, handed the advantage back to the North Londoners, who held their nerve to secure a first title in 22 years.City’s response, inevitably, was to spend. Elliot Anderson arrived from Nottingham Forest for £116 million, and the club broke their transfer record before the window shut to bring in Enzo Fernández from Chelsea for £125 million. Arsenal have been busy too, with Newcastle’s Bruno Guimarães moving to North London.Both squads are looking strong, and both can now boast title-winning know-how. They could, once again, be the main two going the distance. Liverpool, Chelsea and, to a lesser extent, Manchester United are all in a period of transition having also appointed new managers. How Man City can reclaim the Premier League crownCity winning a Premier League title, or indeed any trophy, will never be an outlandish thought given how much they’ve won in recent years and their, as reported, £900m overspend during the years of book fiddling – plus the continued heavy investment since. Here are some of the reasons to believe in them. Man City’s current squad and managerWhen you’ve got Erling Haaland who, in his worst season in England, still scored 22 Premier League goals, you’ve always got a chance. His supporting cast, however, has changed somewhat in the past couple of seasons.Jérémy Doku found a rich vein of goalscoring and goal-creating form at the end of the season, while Antoine Semenyo arrived from Bournemouth in January and took to life in Manchester very quickly. Semenyo is now out for around eight weeks with a knee injury picked up against Ipswich. Rayan Cherki is also a very exciting player to watch.One player City relied on more than most was anchoring midfielder Rodri, who missed almost the entire 2024/25 season with a cruciate ligament tear and whose absence triggered a remarkable collapse. He missed several games last season too, with knee and hamstring problems, before winning the Golden Ball as Spain took the World Cup.He has now gone to Barcelona, which is the single biggest question hanging over Maresca’s first season. City spent £125 million on Enzo Fernández and £86 million on Ayyoub Bouaddi to make sure the same collapse cannot happen twice.There is plenty for Maresca to work with. The Italian was Guardiola’s assistant during the 2022/23 treble-winning season, and had his eye on this job for some time, which more than likely led to his explosive exit from Chelsea last season. After that success working with Pep, Maresca led Leicester to the Championship title in 2024, before moving to Stamford Bridge.Fans of those two clubs, however, haven’t always been satisfied with the style of play on show. Here he is working with players he already knows, and he has since signed Enzo Fernández from his former club. Seven wins from seven, making him the first Premier League manager to win his first seven games, suggests the transition has gone as smoothly as anyone could have asked. Transfer activity – ins and outsKey arrivalsEnzo Fernandez CM Age 25From Chelsea£125mKey stats +Midfield profile · Premier League · ChelseaPass accuracy85.8%Goals10Assists4Minutes3,115Elliot Anderson CM Age 23From Nottingham Forest£116mKey stats +Midfield profile · Premier League · Nottingham ForestApps38Goals4Assists4Goal involvements8Ayyoub Bouaddi CM Age 18From Lille£86mKey stats +Midfield profile · Ligue 1 · LillePass accuracy85.3%Tackles won / 901.55Interceptions / 901.05Key passes / 900.70Iliman Ndiaye LW Age 26From Everton£65mKey stats +Attacking profile · Premier League · EvertonGoals6Assists3Appearances32Minutes2,779Allan Elias RW Age 22From Palmeiras£34mKey stats +Career profile · PalmeirasFirst-team apps96Age22PositionRWTransfer fee£34mJeremy Monga LW Age 17From Leicester City£10mKey stats +Attacking profile · Championship · Leicester CityApps27Goals1Assists2G+A / 900.29Gerónimo Rulli GK Age 34From Marseille£1.7mKey stats +Goalkeeping profile · Ligue 1 · MarseilleApps29Save percentage69.1%Saves76Goals allowed / 901.17Mathys Detourbet FW Age 19From TroyesUNDISC.Key stats +Attacking profile · Ligue 2 · TroyesApps33Goals3Assists5G+A / 900.36Reported spend£437.7mKey departuresSávio RW Age 22To Tottenham£85mKey stats +Attacking profile · Premier League · Manchester CityGoals1Assists1Goal involvements / 900.22Minutes833Rodri DM Age 30To Barcelona£65.4mKey stats +Midfield profile · Premier League · Manchester CityApps21Goals1Assists0Minutes1,511Tijjani Reijnders CM Age 28To Al Qadsiah£51mKey stats +Midfield profile · Premier League · Manchester CityApps28Goals5Assists2Minutes1,632Nico Gonzalez DM Age 24To Newcastle£50mKey stats +Midfield profile · Premier League · Manchester CityAppearances25Goals1Assists0Minutes1,568James Trafford GK Age 23To Leeds United£40mKey stats +Goalkeeping profile · Premier League · Manchester CityApps4Save percentage70.0%Saves14Goals allowed / 901.50Nathan Aké CB Age 31To Fenerbahçe£8.5mKey stats +Defensive profile · Premier League · Manchester CityTackles won / 900.78Interceptions / 900.65Clearances / 903.76Clean sheets3Manuel Akanji CB Age 31To Inter MilanUNDISC.Key stats +Defensive profile · Serie A · Inter (loan)Tackles won / 900.77Interceptions / 901.18Clearances / 903.73Goals2John Stones CB Age 32To Inter MilanFREEKey stats +Defensive profile · Premier League · Manchester CityApps9Goals0Assists0Minutes439Bernardo Silva AM Age 32To Real MadridFREEKey stats +Midfield profile · Premier League · Manchester CityApps38Goals2Assists4Minutes2,872Jack Grealish LW Age 30To EvertonLOANKey stats +Attacking profile · Premier League · EvertonAppearances22Goals2Assists62025/26 statusLoan spellOmar Marmoush FW Age 27To TottenhamLOANKey stats +Attacking profile · Premier League · Manchester CityGoals3Assists3Appearances21Minutes700Reported income£299.9mNet transfer spend£137.8mFees as reported. Loan and free transfers are excluded from the totals. Key stats show 2025/26 domestic league performance unless otherwise stated; per-90 figures adjust for playing time.City ended up spending heavily in midfield, with Enzo Fernández, Anderson and the 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi arriving for a combined £327 million. Fernández has been the pick of them, stepping in against Coventry when Nico O’Reilly pulled up in the warm-up and setting up the winner. Bouaddi has been eased in, making his first Premier League start against Ipswich.French winger Mathys Detourbet was signed from Troyes and immediately loaned back to Monaco, while 17-year-old Jeremy Monga is one for the future and will likely go out on loan before getting serious game time at the Etihad.In terms of outgoings, not only did City say goodbye to their legendary manager, but they also let go of the man who scored the goal that won them the Champions League in 2023. Rodri joined Barcelona for £65.4 million.The Spanish midfielder won the Golden Ball at the World Cup as he led his nation to glory, and even with City’s embarrassment of riches, they have found it impossible to replace him when he’s been out injured in recent seasons.Two fellow Pep-era stalwarts have also departed. Centre back John Stones arrived during the same summer as Guardiola, while Bernardo Silva joined the year after.Stones had fallen down the pecking order at centre back, behind Rúben Dias, Joško Gvardiol and, more recently, England teammate Marc Guéhi. Silva, meanwhile, had reportedly decided to let his contract run down a couple of years ago. Key fixtures in the 2026/27 seasonCity opened against the side who ended their hopes of reclaiming the title a few months earlier, needing two goals in the last six minutes to beat Bournemouth 2-1. They followed it with a 4-1 win at Crystal Palace, Erling Haaland and Rayan Cherki both scoring twice, then edged Coventry 1-0 at the Etihad through Haaland’s 300th goal in club football.The first Manchester derby produced the statement of the four. City won 1-0 at Old Trafford despite playing 67 minutes with ten men after Phil Foden’s red card, Haaland settling it on the hour with his ninth goal in the fixture. Maresca refused to shut up shop at any point, which told you plenty about his approach.They went to Anfield after the extended international break, one place where even Guardiola rarely tasted success, and won 3-0. All three goals came after Ryan Gravenberch’s second yellow card. Ipswich were then beaten 3-2 at the Etihad, with Haaland scoring twice. In the Champions League, a 4-2 home defeat to PSG has been followed by a 5-1 win over AEK Athens.Aston Villa away on 24 October is next, before Brighton visit the Etihad in the League Cup fourth round.The games against Arsenal, however, are what fans of both sides will be circling in bright highlighter pen. They meet at the Emirates in late November and at the Etihad in late January in an unusually early return fixture.Should the title race go the distance, City finish the season hosting Aston Villa and then going on the road to Sunderland with games against Liverpool and at Chelsea just before those.Man City odds in other outright marketsEven if Man City don’t end what is a Premier League title drought (by their standards), there are other ways that our favourite football betting sites are enabling you to back the Cityzens in outright bets this coming season. Erling Haaland to win the Golden BootCity’s Norwegian goal machine is the odds-on favourite to top-score the Premier League once again, and he already has eight in seven games, despite not scoring on the opening day for the first time since moving to England. That puts him three clear of João Pedro and Alexander Isak. New customers at Coral can bag boosted odds of 50/1 on Haaland to win the Golden Boot, paid in free bets if it lands. Man City trophy multiplesIn ten seasons under Pep Guardiola, City went trophyless in just two of them. Last season, they won both domestic cups. That same bet right now yields odds of 22/1.At certain bookmakers, you can back Maresca to win any combination of the available trophies in his first season in charge, or simply “to win a trophy”, meaning any one trophy, or none at all.While Arsenal are rightly favourites for the Premier League, and there are a handful of clubs looking a stronger bet for the Champions League, City are certainly hard to eliminate in one-off cup ties.The League Cup and FA Cup double is the one I would take. The League Cup final is in March, and the FA Cup fifth round will have been played a fortnight earlier, so a side still alive in both by then would have the bet on course and a healthy cash out available long before Wembley. The League Cup run continues with a fourth-round tie at home to Brighton.What’s more – all the talk of sanctions right now are referring to the Premier League, with very little discussion of their participation in the domestic cups. Back Man City to win both the League Cup and FA Cup at 22/1 with bet365 Man City to go unbeatenOnly one side has gone a full Premier League season without defeat, Arsenal’s Invincibles of 2003/04, which tells you exactly how hard this is and why 25/1 is available on a side who have won their opening seven.City have the profile for it. They have already pulled off a late comeback and survived a game with 10 men, winning at Old Trafford following Phil Foden’s red card in the first half. Guardiola’s teams twice went beyond 20 league games unbeaten in a single campaign without lasting the distance – so it could get exciting for anyone willing to put a small wager on it.The bet dies the moment the run dies, of course, which is both the appeal and the problem. What it does give you is a live position through the autumn at a price that shortens with every week City stay perfect. They passed the first real test with a 3-0 win at Anfield, and the price has come in from 28/1 to 25/1. Back Man City to go unbeaten in the Premier League at 25/1 with bet365 Top North West clubIrrespective of the title race, you can back City in a North West-only race with cross-town rivals Manchester United and Liverpool.There is of course a chance that Andoni Iraola gets Liverpool firing, much like his predecessor Arne Slot did, and United enjoyed an excellent second half of last season under Michael Carrick.Liverpool have recovered from a slow start, but City beat them 3-0 at Anfield and lead them by nine points. United have one league win from seven, and were beaten 4-1 at Como in the Champions League on 21 October. City have won the lot.This is not a formality – what with the rather large elephant in the room – and some bookmakers now make Liverpool favourites, which shows how much of the sanction risk is being priced in. Bet on Man City to finish ahead of their North West rivals at 11/8 with Betway FAQs about Man City ahead of the 2026/27 season1. Who are Man City’s key players as they aim to reclaim the Premier League title?While Man City have always had a star-studded, expensively assembled squad ever since Sheikh Mansour took over in 2008, it would be fair to say that City’s quest for trophies in this, or any, season relies on the form and fitness of Erling Haaland up top. No player could possibly replace everything he brings to the team.Elliot Anderson and Enzo Fernández are the two now needed to fill a Rodri-shaped hole in midfield, and Fernández has made the quicker start of the pair.2. Who are likely to be Man City’s main rivals for the Premier League and other domestic competitions?City are – for now – locked in a title fight with Arsenal once again. Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea could also come into contention, though all three have already dropped several points already.The so-called “big six” are always expected to go deep in the domestic cups too, but we have also recently seen Newcastle and Crystal Palace win those.3. When are the best times to lock in the best odds for Man City in the markets mentioned in this article?With what has just happened, probably now! City are top, but are 4/1 to win the league – because they may, very soon, not be in a position to compete for it.The cup markets are the ones with room left in them, because those prices will not move much until the later rounds. If you are waiting on the title market, you are now betting on a stumble rather than a slow start. Read more about the Premier League during the 2026/27 seasonPremier League winner oddsPremier League top 4 oddsPremier League relegation oddsPremier League refereesGolden Boot oddsAbout the authorNathan HillNathan Hill is an experienced sports writer who obsessively follows football – both the round ball and American kind – as well as range of other sports including F1, basketball, darts and snooker.Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. 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