Manchester City raced out of the blocks in the 2022 transfer window, sealing the signature of attackers Julian Alvarez and Erling Haaland before June 1st. However, things have gotten trickier for the back-to-back Premier League champions since those moves materialised, with Gabriel Jesus departing for Arsenal and Raheem Sterling seemingly on his way out with just one year left on his contract.
With their competitors – Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham – adding to their arsenals in the off-season, Manchester City need to make some more additions to say ahead of the chasing pack next year, and here are three players Pep Guardiola’s side must sign this summer.
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Manchester City are on the verge of losing three wingers in six months – Ferran Torres, Raheem Sterling, and Gabriel Jesus – leaving the team very light on the attacking front. Amongst players currently at the club, only Foden and Grealish can play on the left-wing, while Riyad Mahrez is the only starting calibre right-winger at the club.
The Cityzens need to add at least one more wide forward this summer to give them some better bench strength to cope with a long, strenuous season next year. Manchester City primarily need a left-footed right-winger who can cut inside from the wing ala Riyad Mahrez, and one player who fits the bill is Bayer Leverkusen star Moussa Diaby. The Frenchman managed 13 goals and 12 assists for Leverkusen in the Bundesliga last term and is an excellent finisher off both feet. Diaby is lightning quick and excellent in 1v1 situations and can also combine with others using his short passing, making him the perfect Pep Guardiola winger for this Manchester City side.
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The rumours in France indicate that PSG have put Neymar on the chopping block and are willing to sell their star Brazilian to build their team around Kylian Mbappe. Reports suggest PSG are willing to offload the Brazilian for as little as €40-50 million, and although his wages and signing-on fee would be exorbitant, Manchester City are one of the few clubs in the world that could afford to sign the former Barcelona star.
Neymar arriving in the Premier League would be a game-changer. The samba superstar would instantly become one of the top 3 players in the league – if not the best – and would catapult Manchester City back to the top of the food chain despite the loss of Jesus and Sterling. Neymar brings some obvious baggage with his wages, star personality and unwillingness to work hard off the ball, but Pep’s City gladly made attempts to sign similar players such as Lionel Messi and Paul Pogba in the last 12 months. If a deal to sign one of the top five most talented players in Europe is possible, City would do everything in their power to make it happen.
Despite his mentality and motivation to fully commit to the team fracturing in Paris, City’s excellent dressing room culture could re-align the Brazilian’s priorities. Moving to the Premier League could also give him a new challenge to focus on, reigning the fire that made him one of the best players in the world.
On the pitch, there is no questioning the Brazilians fit in Manchester. Neymar is the closest reincarnation to Lionel Messi in the history of the game, and although he no longer has the explosiveness, the Brazilian would be devastating in the Premier League anywhere across the front three for Manchester City.
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One area where Manchester City need an urgent upgrade in 2022/23 is at left-back. Their current options, Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko, prefer to tuck inside and invert from the left side rather than hold the width, and the Cityzens need to sign a defensive option that can stretch the play horizontally.
Pep Guardiola’s number one priority for this position this summer is Brighton left-back Marc Cucurella, and despite the costly nature of this deal – a fee of ~£50 million – the Spaniard is the perfect profile for this role. Cucurella was Brighton’s player of the season last year in his first campaign with the club, starting 35 games for Graham Potter’s side as they achieved their best finish in the league. The 23-year-old is an incredibly versatile left-back, blessed with the ability to bomb forward as an attacking outlet down the wing or play as a more reserved full-back that tucks in to form a back three.
Although there are better value for money options available other than Cucurella, City have the luxury of shopping in the expensive aisle. Signing a left back is a pivotal move the club have to make this summer and adding the former Getafe defender would give the team an additional attacking weapon to help their title defence next season.
[Featured Image Credit: Neymar]
Shivaan Shah