Thought you might be interested to read my second everpost on this forum some 10 years ago
Chelsea fan here.
You shouldn't be beating yourselves up too much re this season as winning back to backs is another step something that you will achieve but for some reason the powers that be at Man City appeared , to me, to think that you were already there and your transfer dealings far from improving you as a team did the exact opposite.
As we have found moving very well paid players on is not easy and with these type of players still on your wage bill is an issue as many will just allow their contracts to wind down or if you can get them to agree to move on then that also comes at huge cost.
Next season we will be letting a lot of players leave I suspect that will be likewise your clubs aim.
For us the likes of Ferria, Moulda, Beyoun, Lampard, Bruma, Hilario,& Turnball to name just a few whose contacts are up will leave others like Marin & Torres will also be leaving . We have been sneaky in that we already have 4 or 5 players out on loan who will either next season or the one after come into the first squad . Players like Lukaka, Courtois, DeBryne to name 3 already full Belgium internationals and when they come back will improve the squad. Also a suspect that some of our real promising youngsters will be tested in the hope that at long last we will see each season a couple of homegrown players coming through our academy system
My point is that you have come so far in such a short period and the trick will be trying to get the books to balance to enable you to move on deadwood (for want of a better word) and I would fully expect that your owners off field investment will start to bear fruits just as I am convinced our off field spend will likewise bear fruit.
Having said that you have a core of wonderful players and irrespective of what that funny old man across the city said they really aren't a way ahead of all others.