Manchester City ran riot last season in the Premier League as they secured as many as one hundred points by bulldozing past their opponents and clinched the league title.
However, City have been far from the standards they had set during the previous campaign and there is a lot of room for improvisation.
Their latest league outing ended in a 2-1 loss at the hands of Newcastle United at St. James’ Park during which their weaknesses resurfaced.
Apart from the left-back position, the central defensive midfield area is expected to be one of the areas of concern for manager Pep Guardiola.
The blue half of Manchester lack options in terms of the task of cushioning their backline and have relied heavily on Fernandino for a couple of years now.
City have been linked with Everton’s Idrissa Gueye and apart from the defending Premier League champions, Arsenal and Paris Saint-German have also been associated with him.
It has been claimed by The Sun that an offer of £25m from PSG has been rejected by the Toffees, although Gueye is keen to leave the Goodison Park.
Intriguingly, Guardiola has made it very clear that his camp wouldn’t bring fresh faces to the Etihad Stadium in January as he is satisfied with what he has in his artillery.
Therefore, any move for Gueye is likely to churn out only in the summer and it would make a lot of sense if City manage to make the 29-year-old sign on the dotted line.
A perfect replacement for Fernandinho
Gueye is a no-nonsense midfielder who is renowned for his tough tackling skills and his ability to break opposition’s attacking moves.
The Senegalese international got himself acquainted with English football after his move to Aston Villa from the ranks of Lille in the summer of 2015.
In the subsequent season, he switched to Everton after the Lions were relegated from the top flight and he has been a huge asset for his current club.
He has brought a lot of resilience in the middle of the park for Everton and owing to his passing range, he has helped his teammates in making transitions from defence to attack.
Gueye has featured on 20 occasions so far this season in the Premier League and has managed to muster 4.2 tackles, 2.4 interceptions and 1.3 clearances per game on an average.
By the turn of the next campaign, Fernandinho will be 34 and in order to get a long-term replacement for the Brazilian, Gueye could be an exciting choice for Guardiola’s side.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored