City spent more than £200m on four players in January, with Khusanov, Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez and Vitor Reis arriving at the Etihad Stadium while Echeverri, a 2024 signing from River Plate, also joined following a loan spell back at the Argentine club.
Kevin de Bruyne is the only player confirmed to be leaving City this summer, while the future of midfielder Jack Grealish, who last started a Premier League match on 2 April, is also in doubt.
When asked if it meant more exits were inevitable, Guardiola – who signed a deal keeping him at the club until 2027 – said: “It is a question for the club. I don’t want to have 24, 25, 26 players when everyone is fit. If I have injuries, unlucky, we have some players for the academy and we do it.”
Guardiola said a big squad is unsustainable and that it is important for “the soul of the team” that his players “create another connection with each other that this season we lost it a bit”.
All Premier League clubs can name a 25-man squad, but this is not an exhaustive list of all players eligible to play. A team can also include under-21 players who are eligible over and above the 25-man squad limit.
Manchester City’s website lists 28 first-team squad members, plus four players who are on loan elsewhere.
Guardiola has explained in the past, external why he prefers to manage a smaller squad, going into the 2023-24 season with 20 senior players.
In comparison, Chelsea’s official website lists 31 players in their squad list, with 21 other players out on loan, Brighton and Tottenham list 29 players, while Wolves name 30 players on their squad list.
Clubs with smaller squads than Manchester City this season include Arsenal with just 24 players and champions Liverpool , Aston Villa, Everton and Nottingham Forest with 25 squad players.
