Manchester City might be flying high in the Premier League and have a Cup final to look forward to, but manager Pep Guardiola is already looking ahead. The Sky Blues have some brilliant attacking talents but considering Guardiola’s side are expected to win every competition they play in, the need to keep strengthening their squad is imperative.
Though City have been accused of spending lavishly, the results will silence the critics. Of late, City have been hit by a few injuries as the likes of Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus and David Silva have missed a few games. Benjamin Mendy was ruled out for nearly the full season earlier as well.
Attacking wise, City have added just Bernardo Silva this season as their focus was on adding more steel to the defence. Gabriel Jesus joined last January and has settled in well. The defence and the attack is pretty well balanced right now, however, the midfield perhaps needs more numbers as Yaya Toure’s contract comes to an end after the current season.
Ilkay Gundogan’s injury record isn’t the best, so City need a few more numbers to support Fernandinho. If reports are to be believed, the club have agreed a deal to sign Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Fred who will cost the club 50 million pounds.
Fred- fact file
The Brazilian moved to Ukraine in the summer of 2013 when he was pretty young and after taking a bit of time to adapt, he has become a key cog in the Shakhtar side. Playing in a deeper role, the 24-year old is known for breaking opposition teams’ play and starting counters for his own side.
Though his offensive stats aren’t the best, his defensive numbers are pretty impressive. In the Champions League, the Brazilian managed 2.7 tackles per game. What is intriguing is he showed his ability to maraud forward, having completed 3.3 dribbles per game.
He isn’t a goal-getter (just two goals in all competitions), understandably, considering he likes to control the tempo of the game more than anything else. An 84.7% pass accuracy has room for improvement.
How will he fit in?
Fernandinho has been an excellent servant at the club but he isn’t getting any younger. Though he has put in consistent performances for Guardiola’s side, not only do City need a good backup but also someone who can be a long-term replacement.
At 24, Fred has plenty of time to settle at the Etihad and be the mainstay of that City midfield for a while.
Stats via Whoscored
