Will Man City investment affect their future?

Manchester City began the year as the fifth richest football club in the world. But a huge investment in November has catapulted them to the top of the pile. American technology company Silver Lake entered into a business partnership with the football club worth a massive £390 million.

Although this season in the Premier League isn't quite going the way Pep Guardiola would have planned, (William Hill now have Liverpool as firm favourites to take the title) this investment deal has meant City's financial fortunes are looking much brighter.

Could this financial boost take them the step further they've been hoping for? Despite having domestic success on the pitch having won the Premier League title four times in the past decade, the future of the club and their status as an established and popular brand remains unclear. With Guardiola's future at the club in question, too, it's been a tricky time.

Guardiola has never spent more than four seasons in charge of a club, and this summer, the Spaniard will reach that exact milestone for Manchester City. Early in December, City were rumoured to be planning for a future without Pep - especially if they win the Champions League come the end of the season.

However, it's more recently been rumoured that City's manager is demanding some key changes if he's to stay. That's as a result of his team falling behind Liverpool in the title race and losing his assistant Mikel Arteta to Arsenal. Reports revealed that Guardiola is looking for three new signings in the summer - a centre back and left back and also a forward as Leroy Sané's future remains in doubt. There's a lot for the club to navigate when it comes to personnel in the coming months - including reinforcing the backroom staff after Arteta's departure.

Looking at the club's brand, as we've already covered - despite their success on the pitch - City still aren't supported as fiercely as other top clubs in Europe. At the start of this 2019/20 Premier League season (back in August 2019) new figures revealed that despite being league champions, City still fall behind Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United when it comes to shirt sales.

The money Silver Lake has invested is set to be used for "funding international business growth opportunities" meaning these branding worries could be set to be addressed. Even though City are behind those other Premier League giants in terms of shirt sales, they actually rose by a huge 110% for City last season. The effects of this investment could see this sky-rocket even further. Whatever happens as a result of the Silver Lake partnership, keeping an eye on City's growth as a club commercially, now they're the richest club in the world, is going to be fascinating.

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.