Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is eyeing a shock move for Bayern Munich reject and current Schalke midfielder Sebastian Rudy.
The Catalan mastermind wants to add to his midfield options, and according to The Sun, Rudy has been identified as the ideal short-term option by the Sky Blues.
The German international has struggled since moving to Schalke in the summer after having a subpar spell at Bayern Munich last season, and could be available on a six-month loan deal.
Why Sebastian Rudy would be a good fit under Guardiola
Rudy was one of Hoffenheim’s key players during their emergence under Julian Nagelsmann before he moved to Bayern in 2017.
But, after failing to make an impact at the Allianz Arena, he was transferred to Schalke the following summer for a fee of €16 million, although his struggles with lack of playing time remain intact.
Having said that, Rudy is certainly one of the most gifted passers in the Bundesliga, having consistently attained over 80% passing accuracy in all of the past three seasons. His passing is not only limited to short passer either, as the 28-year-old often tends to initiate counter-attacking opportunities by providing accurate long-balls.
Rudy can effortlessly recycle possession, but what makes him such a solid midfielder is his ability to elude pressure while the fact that he can pass with both feet is always an advantage, on that front.
The Schalke midfielder is an expert when it comes to set-pieces, which is the main source of his creativity while defensively, he can read the game very well, notably averaging over three interceptions during the 2016/17 campaign with Hoffenheim.
Rudy is also a tactically astute midfielder, who can excel under any tactical philosophy, which is rather evident considering his success under Nagelsmann’s high-pressing game as well as Germany’s possession-based game under Joachim Loew.
Therefore, the 28-year-old is certainly an appealing target for Manchester City, who, much like, Bayern, have adopted the Juego de posicion style of play under Guardiola – something that tunes in well with Rudy’s versatile gameplay.
The German international has a vast amount of experience in top-flight football, having made 243 appearances in the Bundesliga, which should be useful in his transition to the faster-paced nature of the English top flight.
It must, however, be noted that Rudy has already struggled with lack of game-time in the past one and a half year. But, he seems like an excellent cover for Fernandinho nonetheless as Manchester City look to continue their push for the title in the coming months.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
