Transfer News:
There are few things in football that have looked as convincing as Manchester City have looked all season long this time. Pep Guardiola has restructured his side to an immense level and has extracted the perfect performances from them this time around. Boasting of an incredible squad depth, City have done astonishingly well to achieve such a huge point difference in the Premier League table.
Effectively, they look set to win the league along with the already secured EFL Cup. Overall, it has been one exceptional season for the Sky Blues as the team have dominated the league in an unparalleled way. However, a winner like Pep Guardiola is never satisfied with single-season victories and always backs up his good seasons with even better performances the next season.
Accordingly, the gaffer is keen to add some experience and quality on the wings. Currently, Raheem Sterling, Bernardo Silva, and Leroy Sane play as the wide-men in the 4-3-3 formation. However, the late pursuit of Riyad Mahrez in the January transfer window yielded no viable result. The Algerian’s move fell through on the final day and hence left City a player short of their options from the wings.
Apparently, former Man City youth player, Rony Lopes has stated his interest in rejoining his former club. Lopes had left the Man City set-up in 2015, but ever since then, he has made steady progress in his career at AS Monaco. Having played 29 times in the league this season, the player has notched nine goals and assisted four times too.
He is generally a wide player but has been tried quite a lot in various positions. His good form is reflected in the fact that he has been the second-best goal scorer for AS Monaco after Radamel Falcao. Lopes possesses good pace and has a good finesse in front of the goal. He has also created 29 goal-scoring chances whilst having averaged a pass success rate of 77%.
He likes to drift into the centre so that he can take a good shot at goal. Lopes is not someone who is heavily involved in defensive actions, as he has won only 38% of his duels this season. He is more of a player who can thrive while playing on the counter and can drive the team ahead with his quick feet and interlinking skills.
His decent passing accuracy might impress Pep as the Catalan boss worships possession of the ball. Despite the rumours and the talk behind this particular move, I am rather sceptical whether Lopes would end up at Etihad or not.
Manchester City have been thoroughly dominating this season, but their insistence on improving the depth of the squad consistently is appreciable. Do you think Manchester City should make a move for Rony Lopes?
