In Part 1 of the Big Transfer Summary we will be taking an in-depth look at Man City's transfers this summer.
Once again it's Man City & Liverpool that are expected to be fighting it out for the Premier League title. Liverpool finally got their hands on the League title for the first time in 30 years! How have Man City reacted in the summer window?
With the standard set by these two over the past few seasons it's hard to believe there is much room for improvement. Man City have no problem scoring goals, leading the scoring charts by some way over the past three seasons, averaging 101 goals a season! Having lost Vincent Kompany, it's clear to most that City had not just lost one of the Premier Leagues greatest CB's but they have lost their organiser at the back. An area Pep Guardiola would have been desperate to fix. Therefore it was no surprise to have seen him invest £100M in two CB's this summer! Nathan Ake brought in from relegated Bournemouth for £40M & then the transfer which came as a bit of a surprise the £60M purchase of Ruben Dias from Benfica. Ake a left footed CB looks to be cover for Laporte who has struggled with injuries in the last year or so, however he can also provide cover in the left back position. Ake may not scream world class and may have raise a few doubts but he is a consistent performer, a leader and has a wealth of experience in the premier league; with this in mind he will add a more assured presence than Otamendi (Sold to Benfica) or John Stones. Dias who has come through the youth system at Benfica slotted straight into the team for what was a whirlwind debut against Leeds. Dias is highly rated in Portugal whilst breaking into Benfica first team at 20 years old in 2017 & also being Portugals starting CB since 2018. Although this may be the first time a lot of people in England may have heard of him this is a CB that has been on Man City's radar for sometime.
“Ruben is a player we have admired for some time and we have been impressed with how he has progressed at Benfica.” Man City's Director of Football Txiki Begiristain on Ruben Dias
Txiki Begiristain goes on to then describe Dias as everything City need; a leader, strong in the air, good in one v one situations & good with the ball at his feet. Pep will be hoping Dias can progress to be the heir to Vincent Kompany. Dias looked calm with the ball at his feet and a threat defending & attacking set pieces on his debut however it's too early to judge him. Just like the fans the City hierarchy will be hoping he is the answer to their defensive struggles. With the idea of bringing Phil Foden through as David Silva's replacement City didn't feel the need to strengthen the CM positions, I personally see Phil Foden as a more similar style player to Bernardo Silva. City still have Gündogan, Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne & the ageing Fernandinho, personally for me this is an area they should have strengthened. With the season being as physically demanding as ever due to Covid-19 causing scheduling mayhem I feel this will take it's toil on the City quartet. For me they have yet to replace the controller they had in David Silva, which enabled them to retain possession high up the pitch reducing the chances of getting sucker punched on the counter attack which was so often the case last year.
Questions marks remain over the fitness of Sergio Aguero, injury once again has ruled the argentine hitman out from the start of the season. This left City with just the one available centre forward in Gabriel Jesus; a top centre forward but is he capable of being the main man? With Aguero back in training though the two of them should provide enough firepower and depth in the lone striker role. I think there will be plenty of rotation between the two with Pep knowing if he can keep Aguero fit for the remainder of this season by wrapping him in cotton wool when necessary, chances of silver improve significantly. With Man City unable to keep Leroy Sane out of the hands of Bayern Munich they have brought in Ferran Torres as a like for like replacement. In my opinion there are only a handful of players capable to replacing Leroy Sane. That being said Torres is only 20 years old, has good feet and can certainly find a pass. The transfer fee being on the low side at £20M allows the young spaniard to find his feet in England with no pressure or expectancy from the off. This could be a transfer that pays off in the long term however I don't think he significantly covers the loss of Leroy Sane. Man City have strengthened well in the centre back positions, the only problem being question marks still remain over the defensive capabilities of Walker & Mendy in the full back positions. Cancelo came in last year from Juventus with a big reputation however only made 17 league appearances and failed to impress. Despite the strengthening of centre backs I believe they will remain vulnerable defensively. Coupled with the loss of Leroy Sane & the fact they remain short of numbers in midfield I don't see the summer window improving this City team drastically. An average window when I think they needed a good one to topple Liverpool. #manchestercity #transferroundup #rubendias #dias #leroysane #sane #nathanake #ake #footballtransfer #football #vincentkompany #footballblog #insideforward #mendy #walker #defensivevulnerbility #ferrantorres #torres #defence #midfield #attack