City's deadline day double whiff

City go into the WSL season as champions with a hole in attacking midfield after Vivianne Miedema's situation left them short in that area, and deadline day was supposed to be the fix. According to the Guardian, the club made a formal move for Benítez, the Spain international at Atlético Madrid, with a bid understood to be over £500,000. Atlético said no.

A second attempt to bring in Vignola from Everton went the same way. The Argentina midfielder has been a regular for Everton and the club were not willing to sell on deadline day, according to the same report. City ended up going into the new season without either player, despite trying both routes right up to the wire.

Why the gap matters

Miedema's absence from that attacking-midfield role is the reason City were in the market at all. The Guardian's report does not spell out the precise nature of the Dutch forward's situation, but the club clearly felt exposed enough to make a genuine push for two separate players on the same day rather than settle for one.

Missing out on both leaves City with the squad they already had, built for a title defence but now short of the depth they wanted in a position that matters most when games get stretched. Pep Guardiola's men's side has spent enough deadline days getting business done that a blank sheet on the women's side will raise eyebrows inside the club.

What happens now

There is no indication in reporting so far that either move could be revisited before the window reopens. Benítez stays at Atlético, Vignola stays at Everton, and City are left to work out how they cover that gap with what they already have. For a squad defending a WSL title, that's a problem for Gareth Taylor to solve on the training pitch rather than in the transfer market, at least until January.