The dreaded Financial Fair Play restrictions have been lifted from Manchester City’s shoulders, allowing manager Manuel Pellegrini unlimited access to the reported £100m war chest afforded him by the Citizens’ owners. Summer transfer windows have been a funny thing for the blue side of Manchester since Sheikh Mansour took control of the club in 2008, yielding varying levels of success. Stellar signings have become a fixture at the Etihad Stadium, however, so to have frustrating flops. This summer is among the most important in City’s history, as the squad needs major work.

Get it right, and City can keep up with their rivals both domestically and in Europe. Get it wrong, and they’ll be left behind.

A pattern has emerged for the Manchester side of late. Step 1: Make some quality additions to the squad that will win you the league. Step 2: After winning the league, sign some distinctly average players who will lose you the league. Rinse. Repeat.

After securing their first Premier League title in the most sensational way you can possibly imagine, they were expected to crack on in the transfer market and build on their momentum. So of course, Jack Rodwell and Scott Sinclair walked through the door. City would then go on to lose their title to arch rivals Manchester United, after they, sensibly, signed Robin van Persie.

That year, City were the new kids on the block and some leniency must be afforded to them. It was their first transfer window following a title-winning campaign, and City were not well-versed enough in how to approach it. After relinquishing their crown, the Sky Blues signed a raft of players who would go on to spur them on to a second league title. The likes of Alvaro Negredo, Fernandinho and Jesus Navas were brought in and played their part in the 2013/14 title-winning campaign.

So City now had the experience in how to approach a title defence. They could now press on, leave struggling arch rivals Manchester United in the dirt and focus on building a successful team for many years to come. UEFA had other ideas, though, and imposed restrictions on the club’s spending that year, so City simply couldn’t go out and buy the players to fend off Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea (although FFP cannot be blamed for the fact £42m was spent on Eliaquim Mangala!)

City ultimately lost the title (shock), as Chelsea usurped them at a canter. But, with FFP restrictions now lifted, City can splash the cash. Top class names have been linked, and the likes of Paul Pogba and Raheem Sterling are reported to be at the top of Pellegrini’s wish list. Those are the sort of names City should be chasing, and this summer they have the chance to add them to their ranks. If City get their signings right, Chelsea can indeed be caught at the top of the league. There are no longer any excuses for the blue side of Manchester, they must get their recruitment right.

If the reported £100m is spent wisely, a rejuvenated City would add an extra edge to the Premier League. The idea of Arsenal, Chelsea and the Manchester clubs fighting it out with squads full of superstars at the top of the league is mouth-watering. In the age of European super squads, the right signings can make up for lost ground in the Champions League. City have the resources.

Should City mess up another transfer window, their Premier League rivals will overtake them. Arsenal are finally buying established stars, and Manchester United are building a team to once again compete at the top of the league. Chelsea will be long gone under the stewardship of Mourinho and Manchester City will be an afterthought.

City have shown the difficulty in establishing a team as a footballing powerhouse. They’ve enjoyed success domestically, but their struggles in defending their title and early elimination in the Champions League show how competitive top level sport is. Signing expensive players is all well and good, but it’s clear establishing yourself amongst the European giants is not simply a case of making blockbuster signings.

The excuses have run out for City now, they simply have to get this summer right or face being left in the wilderness.

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