Khaldoon Al Mubarak admits Manchester City have suffered a tough season but insists they will be better for the experience and that Pep Guardiola's side will come back stronger in 2025/26.
After winning the last four Premier League titles – an English record – City could only trail home third in 2024/25, 13 points behind champions Liverpool and three points behind Arsenal.
The club failed to claim any silverware for the first time since Guardiola's debut campaign at City, having also lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace earlier this month.
Add to that an exit to Real Madrid in the knockout phase play-offs of the Uefa Champions League, and it has made for a disappointing season for the most dominant team in English football over the past decade.
“What is it, 15 seasons in a row we’ve qualified for the Champions League? Seven seasons in a row semi-finals of the FA Cup. Third season in a row we're in the final,” City chairman Al Mubarak told the club's media channels as part of his end-of-season review.
“In a tough season like the one we've had, to end up where we've ended up, not at all anywhere near the aspirations that we've had, and not anywhere near the high bar we've set upon ourselves. But listen, it's OK.
“It's a lot of lessons learnt, a lot of experiences that we will never forget. A lot of challenges that we've, I've never dealt with personally, professionally, over these last 17 years combined. And the culmination of that is an experience that I believe will be invaluable for us going forward. Absolutely.”
Injuries to key players, most notably star striker Erling Haaland and Ballon d'Or-winning midfielder Rodri, and a calamitous drop in form over the winter period proved too much for City to overcome, though it must be stressed that they will play Champions League football again next season.
“Many circumstances just didn't work our way,” Al Mubarak added. “You're going to have injuries. You're going to have things that don't go your way. You're going to win games that you don't deserve, and you're going to lose games that you deserve to win. It just happens.
“There was no finger-pointing … And at the end of the day, achieving what we had set ourselves to achieve in the midst of the hardest times … I think we achieved it, we needed to finish as high as possible.”
The chairman said that the mood among the players after the final game of the season against Fulham was not one of celebration or wanting to escape and put the season behind them. Instead, Al Mubarak said he found a determination to put things right.
“Everyone I saw yesterday after the Fulham game, all the players, they're excited, they're excited about coming back. Nobody feels good about how we finished the season. They want to come back, and they want to come back hungry,” he said.
“Honestly, every player I spoke to was telling me, we’re coming back. We’re ready to come back in three weeks’ time. I was speaking to Rodri as an example, he's looking for games. Erling didn't want to go on vacation. He wanted to stay with the physios and prepare for next season. That's the attitude you want and that's exactly why you see me so positive.”
City were unusually busy in the winter transfer market, shelling out £180 million on new signings Nico Gonzalez, Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis.
Al Mubarak said City's hand was forced somewhat by a mounting injury crisis, but also an admission that they had not strengthened well enough in the preceding summer transfer window.
“When I look back, last summer, we probably should have been more aggressive in some of the changes we needed to do. We didn't do that and that ended up costing us this year. We already started that rebuild of this team in January.”
City's season is not quite over, with the Fifa Club World Cup on the horizon. City are one of 32 teams taking part in the expanded competition.
One notable absentee from the squad will be Kevin De Bruyne, with the Belgian playmaker announcing last month that he was bringing his 10-year association with the club to an end.
The 33-year-old signed for City in 2015 in a £54 million move from German club Wolfsburg and has gone on to become one of the club's greatest and most decorated players, scoring more than 100 goals and winning virtually everything.
During his decade at City, De Bruyne has helped the club claim six Premier League titles, as well as five League Cups, two FA Cups, the Club World Cup and the Champions League – the first in the club's history.
De Bruyne is the only player in City's squad who predates manager Guardiola's arrival in 2016, and Al Mubarak admits he will be missed.
“Kevin has been just extraordinary … what Kevin has given to this club, in my view, he is the greatest player to play for this club. I think his accomplishments speak for themselves.
“He's been a captain. He's been a leader. He's been a teammate. He's been everything you'd hope from your most important player. His influence on everyone, from the academy to the communities of fans, not just of the club of Manchester City, but of football all over the world, is unquestionable.”
Last November, Guardiola signed a new two-year contract extension, taking him until the end of the 2026/27 season. It will extend his tenure at the Etihad Stadium to 11 years.
Al Mubarak said there was never any doubt in his mind that Guardiola would sign fresh terms at the club.
Perhaps more telling, he said there were no second thoughts on the club's part after Guardiola failed to arrest the alarming slump that put paid to City's hopes of a fifth straight Premier League title.
“One thing we have with Pep, which is so fundamental, is one word: trust. We have trust, and it goes both ways. I think he trusts us. He trusts me. He trusts the organisation. He trusts the club, and we trust him. And that trust is what, in the good times, allows you to keep winning. And in the tough times, is the hardest and that's where that trust really shows up.”
