Man City start talks to seal their best signing since Erling Haaland
Manchester City’s credentials as Premier League title chasers took another knock against the managerless Chelsea, as a last-gasp Enzo Fernandez equaliser rid Pep Guardiola’s men of all three points, leaving them six points behind Arsenal, who continue to be the pace-setters of the division.
A tenth straight victory at home in league action was not forthcoming in the end, with a second-half injury sustained to Josko Gvardiol only adding to Guardiola’s grievances.
Thankfully, the January transfer window will provide City with the perfect opportunity to strengthen at the back, as the Croat is set to be out of action for some time due to surgery required for a tibial fracture in his right leg.
Man City searching for Gvardiol replacement
This news was revealed shortly after the dust had settled on the dramatic 1-1 draw, with City content creator Steven Mcinerney cursing his team’s wretched luck on social media, by stating that Gvardiol is “one of the most important players in the side.”
To soften this almighty blow, City will surely be on the hunt for centre-back reinforcements this month, away from being linked to the likes of Vinicius Jr to enhance their attacking arsenal even more.
BBC Sport has now revealed that City are going to accelerate a move for in-demand Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi this January, with Ruben Dias also suffering an unwanted injury issue against Chelsea.
Both of these injury concerns have alerted City to the potential of trying to bring in Guehi at some stage this month, with a discounted deal perhaps in the offing, as the Englishman’s contract expires at Selhurst Park at the end of the campaign.
The report does further state that Liverpool are still keen on Guehi’s services, but it remains to be seen whether they’d make a move in January or not, as the £35m-rated star’s short-term future remains up in the air.
At present, City seem to be favourites with Fabrizio Romano revealing that the Citizens have made an “initial approach” to sign the player.
Why Guehi can be their best signing since Haaland
Should a move for Guehi be completed then they could potentially win their best signing since Erling Haaland entered the building in 2022 for what now feels like a very modest very modest £51.2m.
Now, as per Transfermarkt’s estimations, the Nordic goal machine is worth a mind-blowing £173m, and that doesn’t seem too far-fetched a figure.
Haaland is now staggeringly 149 goals down for City from 172 appearances, with commentator Pat Nevin even hailing him as “superhuman” for his ability in front of goal, which has also seen him chip in with a devastating 104 strikes in the Premier League alone.
Off the back of this information, it might well be considered an audacious shout to suggest that Guehi’s signing could rival the earth-shuddering success story of the potent Scandinavian.
Still, much like Haaland has made a striker spot his own at the Etihad through complete domination, the one-time Chelsea youth product will also be looking to come in and be instantly as impactful in the depleted centre-back department.
After all, in a similar fashion to how Haaland has been consistently lauded for being an animal in front of goal, Guehi has also been noted as a “monster” by Palace reporter Bobby Manzi for his frightening ability to win duels for fun at Selhurst Park, with the 25-year-old a feared figure to come up against in the Premier League, much like the unerring City number nine.
Guehi’s PL numbers this season
Stat (* = per 90 mins)
Guehi
Games played
19
Goals scored
2
Assists
3
Touches*
66.9
Accurate passes*
45.1 (85%)
Big chances created
4
Ball recoveries*
4.5
Clearances*
5.3
Total duels won*
5.2
Clean sheets
6
Stats by Sofascore
Guehi is now up to 151 top-flight appearances for the Eagles, meaning he won’t be fazed one bit by a switch to the Etihad, with a monstrous 666 duels won in total across his very impressive South London stay.
Looking at the table above, though, he isn’t just a forceful presence, with two goals and three assists also coming his way this season, from a standout 85% pass accuracy, backing up comments from TNT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves that the England regular is a “dream” to have in your side, for how well-rounded he is.
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Guardiola has also been known to get even more out of the players at his disposal, with Haaland turning into a robotic finisher at Premier League level in an instant under the Spaniard’s wing.
For £35m, or even less, it feels like a no-brainer decision to try and win Guehi’s services, as he attempts to work his magic on another seriously impressive asset, with the Palace captain even bettering Gvardiol in the duels won department this season.
With City also splashing cash on some duds in recent windows, as seen in the £59m switch for Omar Marmoush falling flat, winning themselves a bargain in Guehi would see them return to shrewder acquisitions, in the same mould as Haaland’s ridiculous £51.2m move.
Their defence looks totally depleted and as they challenge for the title, this move could be one that helps get them over the line at a crucial point in the campaign.
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