Manchester City closing in on Spanish fullback: A shrewd move by Pep Guardiola

Manchester City have turned their attention to PSV Eindhoven fullback Angelino Tasende as they start planning for another exciting season ahead.

The Sky Blues are preparing to bring back the Spanish left-back just 12 months after they sold the 22-year-old to the Dutch club, according to a report from The Sun.

Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain are also keen on the former Manchester City youth star offering a £23m transfer fee to the Eredivisie club.

However, City will enjoy the final say in the matter as they had inserted a buy-back clause of €12m in Angelino’s contract last summer, it has been reported.

The Spanish International impressed with his performances and managed 13 goal contributions in 42 appearances across all competitions in the recently concluded campaign.

A shrewd move?

Angelino is a versatile fullback who predominantly features in the left back role and possesses the ability to play in a number of positions on the left flank.

An energetic and tireless worker, the PSV defender is a typical modern-day fullback who marauds up and down the pitch covering the entirety of the left flank.

The 22-year-old is technically astute and his passing, pin-point crossing and long balls pose a great deal of threat to the opposition in the final third.

He managed an average of 76.3% pass success rate, 1.6 crosses, 1.9 key passes and 2.3 long balls per game across all competitions underlining his tenacity and incisiveness with the ball at his feet.

Angelino is a highly offensive yet complete fullback who takes his defensive duties as seriously as his contributions in the final third of the pitch.

Despite garnering all the praise for his offensive prowess, the PSV left-back also boasts decent numbers in the defensive side of his play. Angelino averaged 1.5 interceptions, 2 tackles and 2.3 clearances per 90 minutes, which highlights his excellent positioning, anticipation and awareness on the football pitch.

However, like any other player out there, the 22-year-old has his own flaws to work with on the training ground with the Spaniard’s vulnerability in 1v1 duels topping the charts.

His 175 cm stature also hurts his chances during the aerial challenges on the pitch and it is clear in his numbers with Angelino averaging a mere 0.8 aerial duels won per game.

Bringing Angelino to the Etihad Stadium is bound to bring flexibility to the City dressing room which could be significant as the Sky Blues have repeatedly suffered due to recurring injuries to Benjamin Mendy while another injury prone option in Fabian Delph is also expected to make an exit.

Stat Courtesy: Transfermarkt, Whoscored